The following was sent to the PWBG 20 December 2002 by Malcolm Rockwell. In light of Malcolm now being a member, and irrespective of the fact that his research may have moved on light years, I thought by posting this it might spark some interesting discussions:
Thomas G. "Tommy" Rockwell was my father. He and Vivian, his second wife, adopted meat birth in 1946, and my sister, Alice, in 1950.
He was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 7, 1901. TGR was orphaned at an Early age and raised by his grandmother. Supposedly he dropped out of school And enlisted, underage, in WW1 and ended up in Texas c. 1919. His career in The service and how he got to San Francisco and became a field rep for the Munson Raynor Corp in 1921, and subsequently the Vocalion stringer for the west coast, is as yet unknown.
He married his first wife, Juanita, in California in 1924. In the same year he went to work for Columbia Records in SF and moves to Chicago the same year assuming Jack Kapp's old position of Branch Manager of the record(ing) department.
Becomes General Manager for OKeh records sometime in 1927, becomes General manager at ARC in 1930, then works under Kapp in 1931 for Brunswick Records.
Many, many recording sessions around this time. I have virtually no details of most of this but am always looking!
Moves to New York c. 1932 and starts Rockwell/O'Keefe Agency with Cork O'Keefe in 1934. Sometime between 1936 & 1938 name changes to General Amusement Co. O'Keefe and TGR part ways in 1939.
TGR and Juanita also part ways (I have an exact date but not a hand).
Company becomes General Artists Corp. c. 1949.
Marries Vivian Masterson and business continues to grow with offices in London, New York, Beverly Hills, Miami and Chicago. By 1953 TGR heavily involved in television industry as well as continuing as one of the US's premiere booking/talent agencies until his death May 29th, 1958, in New York City of peritonitis after undergoing a pancreas operation.
Any further info gladly accepted!
