Tom Lowe (performer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Peter "Tom" Lowe (born 23 April 1978, Stockport
, England
) is an English
-born singer and actor
.
, on the outskirts of Stockport and attended Mellor Primary School from 1982–1989 and Manchester Grammar School
from 1989–1996, where he performed in many school plays. He sang in the church choir of St. Thomas's Mellor during his childhood and was runner up in the UK wide Choirboy
of the Year competition while a chorister there. He also appeared on TV while at Primary school with fellow Mellor pupils on the children's show Umbrella, filmed at BBC Manchester
.
backing singer during their 1995 UK tour. He was part of the male voice choir, named 'The Wanted Men', who sang behind the group in the encore, and specifically during the Number One hit single at that time 'Never Forget'.
, for which Tom composed the soundtrack at the age of eighteen.
award winning productions of Les Misérables
and Cats
in the leading roles of “Marius” and “The Rum Tum Tugger”. He also originated the role of "Billy" in the West End workshop of Boy George's musical, Taboo.
Tom is the Harvard cultural attaché to the famous Shaolin Temple, responsible for training such top Chinese film celebrities as Jet Li. His fellowship at Harvard enabled him to spend four months traveling the ancient Silk Road through Xinjiang and Gansu provinces in northwest and central China, as an editor for the best selling student travel guide LET’S GO. His esteemed Harvard thesis on Tang Dynasty frontier poetry won him an honors degree and was contributed to the Harvard Yenching Library following Magna Cum Laude recognition. These cultural advantages, coupled with his first hand, viable experience in the world of pop music and Broadway musicals, has afforded him a very unique expertise, for a Westerner, in the commercial Chinese entertainment scene.
During his Harvard career, Tom continued to perform his original material as the lead singer of the band Tommy and The Tigers. The band had the honor of playing at CBGBs, the original New York City hardcore and punk rock club, in 2005. Staying on in Boston in 2006, Lowe was chosen to be the face of Massachusetts, the on-camera host for a webseries of international tourism promotional videos under Tourism Massachusetts
,. He became the first ever non-American to sing the national anthem at a Boston Red Sox
game.
s sixth season
in Seattle. During Hollywood Week's group round, Lowe sang "How Deep Is Your Love" together with Blake Lewis
, Rudy Cardenas and Chris Sligh
, to move forward to the top tier of contestants. His encounter with IDOL and X FACTOR has proved to be a source for RUNNER-UP, a new Broadway musical he is co-writing, centered on a fictitious reality show. His rendition of "God Bless America" at The LA Dodgers stadium was broadcast on television to an audience of millions.
, on 8–10 August 2008, this time playing the rebel hero role of Enjolras
.
In April - May 2009 he starred in Back to Bacharach and David
at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre, Hollywood.
In 2010, he opened Vegas! The Show at the Saxe Theater, Planet Hollywood Casino and Resort Las Vegas
. His CD, Back to Mine features a collection of original songs in Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, French and English.
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born singer and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Personal life
Tom Lowe was born in Stockport, England to his parents, Peter and Margaret Lowe. He grew up in the village of MellorMellor, Greater Manchester
Mellor is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. Mellor, situated between Marple Bridge and New Mills, runs along a tributary of the River Goyt. It extends from the start of the old turnpike road at the boundary of Marple Bridge to the current county...
, on the outskirts of Stockport and attended Mellor Primary School from 1982–1989 and Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
from 1989–1996, where he performed in many school plays. He sang in the church choir of St. Thomas's Mellor during his childhood and was runner up in the UK wide Choirboy
Choirboy
A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble.As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that "Boy Scout" refers to someone who is considered honorable or conscientious.- History :The use of choirboys in Christian...
of the Year competition while a chorister there. He also appeared on TV while at Primary school with fellow Mellor pupils on the children's show Umbrella, filmed at BBC Manchester
BBC North West
BBC North West is the BBC English Region serving Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Walsden in West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man , north-west Derbyshire, the Yorkshire Dales including Settle and Ribblesdale, and southern Cumbria.BBC North West television output is also broadcast in...
.
Early career
Lowe's had a stint as a Take ThatTake That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
backing singer during their 1995 UK tour. He was part of the male voice choir, named 'The Wanted Men', who sang behind the group in the encore, and specifically during the Number One hit single at that time 'Never Forget'.
North and South
Tom first rose to fame just out of school, as a member of the teenage boy band NORTH and SOUTH, along with Lee Otter, James Hurst and Sam Chapman. Lowe played keyboard, saxophone, and sang vocals. The band starred in the BAFTA nominated hit BBC TV series No SweatNo Sweat (TV series)
No Sweat is a British television children's comedy show that went to air on the BBC's analogue channels in the late 1990s. The show followed the exploits of struggling boy band, North & South, consisting of Jimmy , Greg , Miles and Giles , who were a band in real life, scoring four UK Top 40 hits...
, for which Tom composed the soundtrack at the age of eighteen.
West End career
TOM LOWE starred in the London West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
award winning productions of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
and Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
in the leading roles of “Marius” and “The Rum Tum Tugger”. He also originated the role of "Billy" in the West End workshop of Boy George's musical, Taboo.
Harvard
A 2005 graduate of Harvard University, Tom majored in East Asian Studies, and speaks fluent Mandarin along with six other languages. His ties to the emergent Chinese market are credited to numerous visits to China, many of them sponsored by the Chinese government. Tom appeared on many TV shows in China, being interviewed in Mandarin by prominent Chinese TV personalities.Tom is the Harvard cultural attaché to the famous Shaolin Temple, responsible for training such top Chinese film celebrities as Jet Li. His fellowship at Harvard enabled him to spend four months traveling the ancient Silk Road through Xinjiang and Gansu provinces in northwest and central China, as an editor for the best selling student travel guide LET’S GO. His esteemed Harvard thesis on Tang Dynasty frontier poetry won him an honors degree and was contributed to the Harvard Yenching Library following Magna Cum Laude recognition. These cultural advantages, coupled with his first hand, viable experience in the world of pop music and Broadway musicals, has afforded him a very unique expertise, for a Westerner, in the commercial Chinese entertainment scene.
During his Harvard career, Tom continued to perform his original material as the lead singer of the band Tommy and The Tigers. The band had the honor of playing at CBGBs, the original New York City hardcore and punk rock club, in 2005. Staying on in Boston in 2006, Lowe was chosen to be the face of Massachusetts, the on-camera host for a webseries of international tourism promotional videos under Tourism Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
,. He became the first ever non-American to sing the national anthem at a Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
game.
American Idol
Lowe became the first non-US citizen to appear on American Idol when he auditioned for American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
s sixth season
American Idol (Season 6)
The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host...
in Seattle. During Hollywood Week's group round, Lowe sang "How Deep Is Your Love" together with Blake Lewis
Blake Lewis
Blake Colin Lewis is an American singer-songwriter and beatboxer who was the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. His major label debut album A.D.D. was released on December 4, 2007 through 19 Recordings/Arista Records. On October 30, 2007, his first single "Break Anotha" was released....
, Rudy Cardenas and Chris Sligh
Chris Sligh
Charles Christopher Sligh is an American singer; songwriter and producer who was a finalist on the sixth season of American Idol, finishing in tenth place.-Early years:...
, to move forward to the top tier of contestants. His encounter with IDOL and X FACTOR has proved to be a source for RUNNER-UP, a new Broadway musical he is co-writing, centered on a fictitious reality show. His rendition of "God Bless America" at The LA Dodgers stadium was broadcast on television to an audience of millions.
Musical theatre
Lowe performed in a major production of Les Misérables at the Hollywood BowlHollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
, on 8–10 August 2008, this time playing the rebel hero role of Enjolras
Enjolras
Enjolras is the charismatic leader of the Friends of the ABC in the 1862 novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- The Friends of the ABC :...
.
In April - May 2009 he starred in Back to Bacharach and David
Back to Bacharach and David
Back To Bacharach and David is an Off-Broadway revue that featured the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David in a show created by Steve Gunderson and Kathy Najimy and directed by Najimy, with musical arrangements and orchestrations by Gunderson...
at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre, Hollywood.
In 2010, he opened Vegas! The Show at the Saxe Theater, Planet Hollywood Casino and Resort Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. His CD, Back to Mine features a collection of original songs in Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, French and English.