In 1959, he joined The Tennessean, the daily newspaper in Nashville, as a sports reporter, a beat he kept until 1971. During that time he interviewed the top athletes, attended World Series games, and became friends with such luminous athletes as Cassius Clay, Richard Petty and Wilma Rudolph. He joined Amusement Business in 1972 and soon became a legend in his own right covering the business side of outdoor entertainment. He has covered 20 Super Bowls and 10 Munich Oktoberfests. Stan Musial, Willie Nelson, Randy Travis and Tommy Lasorda are counted among his friends. He has been a resident of Middle Tennessee since 1957.

Through his column, �TP on AB,� he has become the best-known journalist to ever chronicle the outdoor amusement industry. Each week, his remarkable memory, his personality and his ability to write from the heart made his column a must read. During his unique career he has been compared to Bob Hope for serving as an ambassador of the industry; Dean Martin for his drinking persona; Jimmy Breslin for his reporting prowess; and to Babe Ruth for his physical girth.

This biography introduces readers to TP�s friends, his wife, former bosses, and the many industry leaders he has met and befriended during his career. More than 60 of his friends and colleagues were interviewed for this book and they all had amusing and revealing things to say about the legend.

A glimpse inside the pages:

• Discover why a Nashville bar owner laid-off two bartenders when Tom quit drinking after major surgery.
• Laugh as he digs through the trash can at a hotel hunting for his World Series press credentials.
• Be amazed at how this worldly journalist is played for the iggy by a rock star imposter.
• Read in awe as he nearly gets arrested defending the rights of carnival workers.
• Chuckle as he gets lost in the bathroom on the grounds of the Munich Oktoberfest.