Tom Lazaros

About Tom Lazaros

TOM LAZAROS WAS BORN AND RAISED IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT, NEAR GRAND RIVER AND TRUMBULL. HE BEGAN SINGING WITH STREET CORNER AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND MEXICAN DOO-WOP GROUPS WHEN HE WAS 12 YEARS OLD. ONE OF THOSE GROUPS WAS LATER TO BECOME THE ENCHANTERS. SOON, HE WAS WRITING SONGS FOR THE GROUPS TO SING, AND HARMONIZE WITH. TOM LIVED IN THE INNER CITY UNTIL HE WAS 15, WHEN HIS FAMILY MOVED TO THE WEST-SIDE OF DETROIT. AT MACKENZIE HIGH SCHOOL, HE WOULD SING ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF GROUPS, WHILE WALKING BACK AND FORTH TO SCHOOL, AT PARTIES, DRIVE-INS, ETC. TWO OF THOSE GROUPS WERE TO BECOME THE LARADOS AND THE VALADIERS, WHO LATER BECAME THE REFLECTIONS.
HE STARTED TO WORK WITH BOB HAMILTON, WHO HAD DOROTHY GRAY SIGN TWO OF TOM’S SONGS TO JOBETE MUSIC AT HITSVILLE link. (MOTOWN). THOUGH THEY WERE NEVER RELEASED, TOM ENJOYED GOING TO HITSVILLE, WHERE HE WOULD MEET PEOPLE LIKE STEVIE WONDER, SMOKIE ROBINSON, THE VANDELLAS, TEMPTATIONS, CONTOURS,
LAMONT DOZIER, EDDIE AND BRIAN HOLLAND. BOB HAMILTON WENT TO GOLDEN WORLD WHERE HE WROTE AND PRODUCED (JUST LIKE) "ROMEO AND JULIET", WHICH WAS A BIG HIT FOR THE REFLECTIONS.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, TOM MET STEPHEN MONAHAN, WHO WAS RECORDING FOR VEE JAY RECORDS, AND THEY BEGAN WRITING SONGS TOGETHER. STEPHEN INTRODUCED TOM TO DEL SHANNON, WHO SIGNED HIM TO SHIDEL MUSIC. DEL ALREADY HAD A NUMBER OF HITS, INCLUDING "RUNAWAY" AND "HATS OFF TO LARRY", WHEN HE DECIDED TO MOVE OUT TO THE WEST COAST TO RECORD FOR LIBERTY RECORDS.
STEPHEN AND DAN BOURGOISE FOLLOWED DEL OUT TO CALIFORNIA, WHILE TOM STAYED IN DETROIT TO WORK AS A DRAFTSMAN AT CHRYSLER, AND RAISE HIS FAMILY.
TOM RECORDED HIS FIRST RECORD FOR DANNY DALLAS ON THE SOUND PATTERNS LABEL. THE SONGS WERE "ALL YOUR LITTLE GAMES" AND "JUST WALK AWAY". MEANWHILE, STEPHEN MONAHAN LANDED A RECORDING DEAL WITH KAPP RECORDS AND PRODUCERS CHARLIE GREEN AND BRIAN STONE, WHO WERE ALSO PRODUCING SONNY AND CHER, IRON BUTTERFLY, BOB LINDE, AND OTHERS. TOM AND STEPHEN
WROTE THE ENTIRE ALBUM, WHICH HAD A 30 PIECE ORCHESTRA CONSISTING OF MUSCIANS LIKE HAL BLAINE, DR. JOHN, AND GLEN CAMPBELL. THE FIRST HIT SINGLE WAS "CITY OF WINDOWS".
MONAHAN DECIDED TO MOVE TO NASHVILLE, AND CONVINCED TOM TO START A MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY TOGETHER, AND FREE BREEZ MUSIC (BMI) WAS BORN.
RAY PRICE RECORDED TOM’S SONG "THAT’S WHAT LEAVING’S ABOUT", AND IT SHOT TO #1 ON THE NATIONAL CHARTS. IN DETROIT, TOM’S BROTHER, COSTA AND PAUL HENRY WERE A DUO KNOWN AS THE GALLERY, AND THE JIM GOLD TRIO WAS WORKING WITH PRODUCERS MIKE THEODORE AND DENNIS COFFEY. THOUGH COSTA AND PAUL DID NOT SIGN, GALLERY RECORDED TOM’S SONG, "BIG CITY MISS RUTH ANN", WHICH WENT ON TO BECOME A MILLION SELLER.
IN NASHVILLE, BUD RENEAU DID A CO-WRITE ON TOM’S SONG, "SOMEWHERE BETWEEN LOVE AND TOMORROW". ROY CLARK RECORDED IT, AND IT WENT STRAIGHT TO #1.
BILL ANDERSON HAD A HIT WITH TOM’S "THANK YOU DARLING". TOM WROTE "COUNTRIFIED", WHICH BECAME A HIT FOR JOHN ANDERSON, AS WELL AS BEING JOHN’S VERY FIRST VIDEO.
TOM’S SONGS HAVE ALSO BEEN RECORDED BY SUCH GREAT ARTISTS AS GEORGE JONES, DIAHANN CARROLL, DON HO, DOBIE GRAY, TERESA BREWER, CHARNISSA, JOHNNY CARVER, CHICAGO PETE, PRIMO PEOPLE, LATIN COUNTS, COSTA AND CHYPS, FRANK PARKER, AND OTHERS.
TOM RECENTLY WROTE SONGS FOR A NEW CD OF ALL ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS SONGS SUNG BY HIS BROTHER COSTA. NINE OF THE TEN SONGS WERE WRITTEN BY TOM. THE CD WAS PRODUCED BY TOM AND COSTA.
IT IS "LAZAROS CHRISTMAS".