It must have been strange for Ann Renfro as she heard her three year-old son, Tommy, express to her that she was off pitch. Much to her and her husband Matt's surprise, Tommy grew into music. Tommy wasn't in trouble much in school, but there was the occasional time when teachers would call Matt and Ann and beg them to get Tommy to stop singing in class. This love for music was only magnified when Tommy gave his heart to Christ at age 13. Shortly there after, at 14 years of age, Tommy began singing with a Christian rock group called Tidal-Wave. All through high school Tommy was the front man for Tidal Wave. The group grew from a praise and worship band to an evanglistic ministry that swept through the midwest.
In 2004 Tommy's stint with Tidal Wave reached its pinnacle when they sang at the E.J. Nutter Center in Dayton, OH for Dale Earnheart Jr. night. "It was a new expreience," said Tommy. "There were 11,000 people screaming and going nuts." However, it wasn't the people, but the yearning for lost souls that hit Tommy in the face that night.
"They put us right by the beer garden. I was singing a Newsboys song and a girl lost it right by the stage.It was then that I realized the massive size of the mission field in the world. I also discovered that music is God's easiest vehicle to reach the lost," stated Tommy.
It was shortly after that night that the Lord opened new doors for the group and Tommy. Members of the group moved away and left Tommy on his own. Well of course he wasn't on his own, because God paved the way. In the spring of 2004 Tommy jumped into a solo career. He left his Rockin' experience and went back to his roots in Southern Gospel music. Since 2004 Tommy has recorded four albums including a full-length production with Gospel music legend Dr. Charles Novell. "Tommy's abilities are of the highest caliber and his spirit is extremely humble," expressed Dr. Novell.
There is no real way to discribe the gift that the Lord has blessed Tommy with. However there is a good word, ANOINTED. "There are thousands of great singers," Tommy explained, "but there are only a handful in the world who obey the Lord and follow His spirit. If I couldn't sing at all, I could still obey the Lord."
That is what Tommy does, he obeys the Lord and the blessings continue to flow. Whether it's a huge convention or a church with 50 people, it's always the same. Because as Tommy often states, "It's not about me, it's about His glory. |
