Old rocker rolls on

Rock ’n’ roll revivalist Tom Sharplin, 58, has no plans to retire just yet. Why would he?

The jobs keep rolling in and he’s busier than he’s ever been as he marks his 40th year in the entertainment industry.

Tom is getting set to perform with his band the Cadillacs and Kiwi blues legend Midge Marsden this Friday at the Blockhouse Bay Beach reserve.

The free concert from 6pm to 9.30pm is part of the Auckland City Council’s annual Music in Parks series.

Tom was first exposed to rock ’n’ roll as a child growing up in Tauranga.

"I remember my dad buying Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock LP," he says.

But it was a concert featuring the Kinks, Manfred Mann, The Honeycombs and late Kiwi singer Tommy Adderley that set him on course to become a performer.

Tom was just 14 and remembers the moment well.

"Tommy came on stage and started singing and I thought that’s the job I want."

He started with some early gigs in Tauranga but his plan was to head to Auckland and become a fulltime singer.

"I knew that if I wanted to make a living at it I would have to learn my trade so I took singing lessons."

Tom released his first single Love Is A Beautiful Song/We’ve Got A Groovy Thing Going at the end of 1971 and watched it make number 12 on the national charts.

But it wasn’t until 1978 that he released his first album, Rock Around The Clock.

Now he’s about to release his fifth album, Tom Sharplin and Friends – We’ll Sing in the Sunshine, which features a long list of well-known Kiwi entertainers including Shona Laing, Suzanne Lynch and Larry Morris.

But Tom feels most at home on stage.

"A live crowd is always the best.

"It gives you energy only live entertainment can."

Tom regularly travels overseas to perform and heads to Australia in May where he plans to catch up with former west Aucklander and longtime friend, screen star Russell Crowe.

He first met Crowe while he was playing at the Potter’s Wheel Tavern in New Lynn, which was owned by Crowe’s parents Alex and Jocelyn.

"Russell used to peek in through the back of the room," he says.

"He always had that X-factor."

The pair even performed together in a production of Grease during the early 1980s and Tom proudly displays a portait of the actor in his lounge.

"He was a little brat and grew up to be an even bigger one," he jokes.

Tom is also vice-president of the Amputee Society of Auckland and Northland.

"I lost my leg when I was six years old in a tractor accident," he says.

"I’m getting into public speaking teaching people about dealing with their handicaps."

He looks forward to Friday’s show and the chance to catch up with Midge Marsden.

"I’ve done a few gigs with him over the years."

- © Fairfax NZ News