Tommy Vann Productions » Tommy’s Biography

Tommy Vann was born on December 16, 1938, at Bethany David Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, of German/Irish parents, Evelyn and Victor Stauch.  He started performing at family parties when he was only 3 yrs. old.  He started working professionally when he was 9 yrs. old on the “MacLevy School of Dance and Song Show” on WABD Channel 5 in New York in December of 1947.  Other credits the next year were the “Howdy Doody Show” and the “Rootie Kazootie Show” on WPIX Channel 11 also in New York!

He and his Mother and Father along with his older brother Vic Jr. (an extremely talented pianist) moved to upstate New York when he was in the 9th grade.  While in High School he formed a group called the “Pizzarinos”.  He sang and performed all through his four years in school.  He also lettered in Basketball, Baseball and Football.  Two other schoolmates also went into show business.  One was Larry Santos, DJ show in Chicago called “Hot Chocolate” and jingle writer of  “Folgers in Your Cup”, “All Aboard Amtrak, All Aboard”, “The Touch. The Feel of Cotton” and many more commercials which we all are familiar with.  The other was Ron Crosby, who later became country star, Jerry Jeff Walker the author of “Mr. Bojangles”.

He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1959 and while stationed in Okinawa formed a group called the “Emblems”.  Upon returning to the states he secured a record contract with “Academy Records” and charted with “Too Young” and “Bang Bang Shoot’em Daddy”, on which Tommy sang first tenor.

While stationed in Quantico, Virginia he went to Baltimore on weekend leave to a party where he met his future wife Beryl.  They married in 1962.  They are still (after 48 years) happily married!  They had one son, Scott, who (for his 41 years on this earth) they loved dearly.  He was a wonderful son and person of great compassion and talent.  He is missed and is in their thoughts and prayers each day.

While working for Merrill-Lynch he and Beryl were playing “Canasta” one night with their friends Dawn and Woody Spence, when Woody said: “You made records while you were in the Marine Corps, why don’t we form a group?”  The next week “Tommy Vann and The Echoes” was formed.  Shortly thereafter they were recording in New York and had the uptempo recording of “Too Young” which sold upwards of 650,000 copies! They charted again with “Pretty Flamingo”  (covered in 1977 by Rod Stewert) and the R&B hit “Does Your Momma Know About Me”. Several others followed.  Tommy left the “Echoes” in 1964 and formed the group, “Tommy Vann and The Professionals”.  They had a hit with “Soul Sister Annie”.  He next had a wonderful 6 yrs. fronting the great show band “The Admirals” and traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and many other places in the world! He worked with all the greats and counts among his friends, Smokey Robinson, Charlie Thomas (“Drifters”) Sonny Turner and His Platters, and many more! Retired for the first time in 1978 and moved to Morris, New York (near Cooperstown and Oneonta) to be with his parents in their waning years.  While living in Morris, Tommy had sucess in the restaurant business and then opened (with his partner Don Farone) Northeastern Sporting Goods.  After several years he retired again after selling his interest in the business and returned to Baltimore. where he opened Tommy Vann Productions, a DJ, Karaoke, Entertainment Consulting Firm which he still runs today.  He has been performing of late in concert with such greats as the late great “Pookie Hudson (Goodnight Sweetheart well it’s Time to Go……….) and The Spaniels”, “The Orioles”. “Tommy Hunt”, his friend and great star, “Ronnie Dove” and with the hot and explosive “Boss Company”!
Were you one of the fortunate ones to see Tommy Vann & The Echoes perform at their 50th reunion, TWICE? If you missed these shows, you missed an amazing time. We were all transformed back to the ’60’s era where we were care free and amazed at their knack to take us back. Watching them perform was like turning back the clock to the mid 1960s. What a nostalgic trip that turned out to be.

I was so proud and honored to be able to jump on this amazing ride with Tommy Vann. Sadly, we lost this amazing man and great talent on January 20, 2022. Tommy died at the ripe age of 83 and was very active to the very end.

Goodnight Tommy! We will miss you but we’ll meet again.

Jerry Knop
Executive Producer
Tommy Vann Productions