Does anybody else remember the Texas Tom TV ads? The words to the ads were set to a country and western dirge, and sung by a very rugged-sounding gent with an American accent, who was apparently called Texas Tom.
But the setting was England - complete with rain.
In one of the ads (I think there were several), a woman was at home, doing the ironing, apparently dreaming of somebody called Texas Tom. The accompanying song's lyrics assured us that he could transform her drab home. So off she went into the rain, headed for her local Texas Homecare store.
During the ad, we saw the back view of a man several times - and it would appear that this was Texas Tom, the hunk doing the singing...
The woman arrived at Texas, soaking wet, asked for Tom, the guy turned around... and he was not what you might expect.
For years, the Texas ads had the slogan "Texas - The Big One" - these ads are usually the first to spring to mind when Texas Homecare is mentioned.
Texas Tom arrived in the late 1980s (the screen capture at the top of this post is from a 1988 video recording) and didn't stick around for long. But the ad had a certain charm - and I remember it fondly.
And guess what? Apparently some customers actually asked for Tom at their local Texas Homecare stores!
"Just Ask For Tom" - Texas Homecare ad from the Sun, August 28, 1989.By the miracle of YouTube see a 1988 Texas Tom TV ad below!
UPDATE - 7/11/2009:
I have just received a comment from Mr Paul Richey. When Texas Tom made his TV ad debut in the late 1980s, Mr Richey was a country singer of Nashville, Tennessee. So, what has Mr Richey got to do with Tom? I quote from Mr Richey's comment below:
I was the voice of Texas Tom in the advert. I also appeared at the Wembley Festival three different years and did a six week tour with Billie Jo Spears. Our opening act was Raymond Froggett. I still live in Nashville and I'm a Songwriter and Music Publisher. Was surprised to have found this advert.
Texas Tom was a 1980s TV ads hero of mine, Paul! I thought those ads were great fun and remember them fondly. Thank you for getting in touch - I have often wondered who gave Tom voice!
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11 comments:
Lovely ad and I adored the singer's voice. Happy, happy memories!
I was in marketing at Texas and helped make those ads. They were so revolutionary for the DIY market which up until then had been 'stack it high and sell it cheap' price based. We shot the Ads at Pinewood over from the 007 stage. Boase Massimi Pollit was the agency. There was a crisis soon after as the actor had done a car alarm ad in which he played a thief and hadn't disclosed it. They had to pay for a reshoot so Tom wasn't seen on TV as a Burglar!
LOL! Thanks for the info!
Have just got an answer to my earlier question of what happened to Paul Richey, he is a song writer in Nashville, saw him as a singer a couple of times in England, once when he toured with Billie Jo Spears and then at Wembley, not Wimbley Paul, why did you give up singing?
Who was the actor who played 'Texas Tom'?
The only other time I saw him on TV was where he played a mobile 'phone thief in 'The Two Of Us'
The lovelorn Lady in one of the Texas adverts was played by the guitarist from early 80's girl band 'The Belle Stars.'
I used to work at Texas Homecare in Reigate in 88 when that stupid advert came out, we were given name badges that said "Hi im Tom's assistant can i help you" or something like that :/ as i recall all if the Managers were called Tom and everyone else was Toms assistants, anyway it was needless to say a very annoying slogan that will live with me till i die :)
Well, mate, you my or not be glad to know that your being one of Tom's assistants places you in the '80s celebrity class in our eyes, so thanks for getting in touch! :)
I have the full album of Paul Richey I bought it when I saw Billy jo spears at Kendal Cumbria in the 80's he was a backup artist I still play the album regularly fantastic Voice
Jim Kirby
Thank you so much for that, you have solved a mystery for me. The episode of 'The Two Of Us' about the phone is on YouTube!
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