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Two Timing Kind ~ Vocal, Tommy Kizziah ~ Background Music, Tommy and his West Coast Ramblers
Tommy Kizziah 4-Star Recording Artist ______________________________________________________________________________ Tommy Kizziah was born in Rockwood, Tennessee in 1915, into a musical family. His father bought him his first guitar at a pawn shop for three dollars. Tommy, nine years old, taught himself to play and soon joined his family on the medicine show circuit. In 1929, after his mother's death, he hitchhiked to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where he met the father of country music, Jimmy Rogers. For years after the encounter with Mr. Rogers, Tommy took the name Jimmy had given him, Sonny Rogers. When he grew up, he played with numerous bands in Tennessee, South Carolina, and Texas. In 1948 he moved to the state of Oregon where he, along with his brother Jack, put together a band. Soon the band would be known as Tommy Kizziah and his West Coast Ramblers. 1949 came along and in November of that year Tommy married his sweetheart, Frances. He stayed in the music business on the west coast throughout the 50's. The West Coast Ramblers were nationally recognized as one of the top five bands in the country. They performed on live radio shows from the stage of The Wagon Wheel Park, The Division Street Coral and more. Their show aired every Saturday night right after the Grand Old Opry. There were many WCR musicians, these are only the names of a few, Ed Whittaker (Fiddle), Jack Kizziah (Bass, Fiddle, Drums), Johnny Reese (Drums), Evelyn Martin Kinnee (Steel), Buddy Simmons (Bass), Ed Zunck (guitar), Skip Montee (Steel), Glenn Smith (Lead Guitar), most of these folks were also vocalists. Now available, a book about Tommy Kizziah's life. I wrote this fictionalized biography as a tribute to my father. It shares his life with you, along with over 100 photos. Click on the link if you'd like to read an excerpt from The Star That Twinkled But Never Got to Shine. Please enjoy the photos on this site. Some of them were provided by Linda Knott, others are from Tommy's collection. If you'd like to contact me, email me at sharon@tommykizziah.com. I'd love to have any additional information you may be able to give me about Tommy Kizziah and The West Coast Ramblers. Thank you, Sharon Kizziah-Holmes
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