Tom Bee facts for kids
Tom Bee was a very important person in music. He was the founder and CEO of Sound of America Records (SOAR). This was the first record label owned by Native American people.
Early Life and XIT
Tom Bee was born on November 8, 1941, in Gallup, New Mexico. He was adopted and grew up in Gallup, near the Navajo Nation. He is best known for starting the popular 1970s music group XIT.
One of Bee's songs, "(We've Got) Blue Skies," was recorded by Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5. It was on their famous album "Maybe Tomorrow." This led to Tom Bee getting a contract with Motown Records as an artist, writer, and producer.
While at Motown, XIT released two well-known albums: "Plight of the Redman" and "Silent Warrior." A song from "Silent Warrior," called "Reservation of Education," became a top 5 hit in France and other European countries in 1973.
XIT's songs often had strong messages about Native American issues. This meant they didn't become huge superstars in the United States. However, they gained a loyal following in America and Europe. Their music has remained popular for many years.
A newspaper once said, "These guys are to the Indians like the Beatles were to the White folks." Their live shows were compared to the high energy of the Rolling Stones. While at Motown, Bee also wrote and produced "Joyful Jukebox Music." This was the title song for Michael Jackson's album "Swan Song." He also worked with Smokey Robinson on his first solo album.
In 1979, one of Bee's songs, "Red Hot," was a top dance hit for Taka Boom. In 1985, the U.K. Rockabilly star Shakin' Stevens recorded Bee's song "Don't Be Two Faced." It was on his successful album, "The Bop Won't Stop."
Creating Sound of America Records (SOAR)
Over the years, Tom Bee's songs appeared on many other albums and projects. In 1989, Bee started Sound of America Records (SOAR) in his home garage.
In 1995, Bee created another company called SOAR Distribution LTD. Its goal was to help other independent labels and artists who made Native American music. They could get their music to more people. In 1999, SOAR bought the buildings they had been renting since 1991. These buildings housed their record labels, publishing, and recording studios.
SOAR also became the main Native American distributor for some big albums. These included Robbie Robertson's "Music for the Native Americans" and "Contact From the Underworld of Redboy" on Capitol Records. They also distributed the very popular "Sacred Spirit" album on Virgin Records.
SOAR includes three publishing companies and five different record labels. These are SOAR, Natural Visions, Warrior, Dakotah, and Red Sea. SOAR now has over 300 high-quality music titles. These include both modern and traditional Native American music.
Tom Bee always said that SOAR was not the first company to record Native American music. But they were the first to take it to a much higher level. SOAR was the first company to release traditional Native American music on compact disc. He once said, "we took Native American music out of the trading posts and into the streets." SOAR's main idea has always been "Quality titles, not quantity of titles."
Awards and Recognition
Tom Bee worked very hard for ten years to help make a change at the Grammy Awards. His efforts helped convince NARAS (the Grammy organization) to create a special category for Native American Folk music.
Besides earning many gold albums, Bee received many awards. In 1994, he received the Eagle Spirit from the American Film Institute in San Francisco. In 1996, he got The Will Sampson Award from the First Americans in the Arts.
In 1998, Bee won the Producer of the Year Award at the First Annual Native American Music Awards (NAMMY's). The next year, in 1999, he received the NAMMY's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001, Bee won a Grammy as Producer for Best Native American Music Album. This was in the very first year that category existed.
On July 27, 2002, the Mayor of Albuquerque, Martin Chavez, declared it "Tom Bee Day." This was to honor Bee's achievements in the music world. He was recognized as a recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and multi-award winner.
On February 8, 2003, Bee received the Lifetime Achievement Award from First Americans In The Arts in Beverly Hills, California. Soon after, on February 19, 2003, in New York City, Bee received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Four Directions Entertainment.
More recently, in 2004, he was nominated for a Grammy for his album "Reveal His Glory." Tom Bee also won a Grammy for producing the 2004 Grammy-winning record "Flying Free" by Black Eagle.
