Whilst Colonel Tom Parker's involvement in the successful career of Elvis Presley is extremely well documented, his role in discovering Tommy Sands is often overlooked. Tommy was a fifteen year old singer and guitarist when Colonel Tom Parker discovered him, hearing him perform on a local radio station. He got him a contract with RCA Records and his positioning as something of a teen idol (no doubt modeled on Elvis) proved a masterstroke and Steady Date became a Top 5 hit album.