Meet Tom Knight | Drummer, Voice Actor, Fitness Fanatic, Father

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tom Knight and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
What a question!

I remember my amazing grandfather, Walker Leigh Knight Sr., telling me once that, “children need to know that they’re *loved* more than anything else.” He went on to say that his four children immeasurably blessed his life.

Now—I’m actually somewhat intimidated by the point I want to make here. What you cannot possibly know is just how many times I’ve written these couple of paragraphs only to delete them moments later. If I were writing the way literary giants of old did—with a typewriter and a ream of paper—then the rug beneath my desk would now be dusted with the light snowing of pages torn from my typewriter, balled up, and dejectedly tossed to the floor. But, the very thing that I can’t seem to effectively articulate is a blessing in the highest order and yet is as common an occurrence as rain: Fatherhood.

I am the proud daddy of three beautiful, perfect little boys (well, one of them is taller than I am now, but I’ll forever see them all as “my little boys” no matter how big they get  When I tell you that my children are the delight of every moment and are indeed the highlight of my life, I’m not even coming close to conveying how I feel. Words just fail.

A good friend once told me, “You’ll never do anything else in your life better than that.” He was right. Whatever soaring pleasure I got from work-related triumphs or personal successes in my life—recording and touring with TLC, performing live on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, winning an Emmy Award for voiceover, finally achieving a handstand, or whatever else—all of it is instantly dwarfed next to the feelings that arise when I look upon the faces of these three angels. Honestly, I can’t stop hugging them and would be content just watching them sleep. I thought I knew what love was, but I had no idea. What’s worse, I had no idea that I had no idea.

When I became a father, I finally understood my grandfather’s words, but I never had to remind myself of his teachings: I immediately fell in love with my sons in ways I never thought possible. And my feelings for them continue to grow every day.

So, to finally answer the question, I believe that the most important thing I have done as a parent is that I have maintained a steadfast, loving presence in their lives. And while I am 100 percent confident that they KNOW they are loved by their father, I will never stop showing it.

I couldn’t if I tried.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been a drummer since I was in the 6th grade, but I would argue that my love for drumming began much earlier. When I was in first grade, we lived next door to a family with a teenager who played drums. I was told that he was too old for me to hang out with, so I would sneak over from time to time just to watch him play his drums. That’s exactly when I knew I wanted to be a drummer.

I feel blessed to have a family that supported my musical endeavors, as well as all my teachers and private instructors who helped me acquire drumming skills formidable enough to land me on some amazing records by some of my most talented friends like Adam Nitti, Randy Hoexter, Alan Barnes, Doria Roberts, and many others. And before that, I was lucky enough to have secured the drum chair for a local legendary Atlanta band called SKINDEEP, which attracted the attention of famed producer Dallas Austin, who as a result would hire me to play on records he produced such as Monica’s “The Boy is Mine”, TLC’s “Fanmail” and “3D”, and other records by Debra Killings, Joi, N’Dea Davenport, Steve Nicks, and many others, and also a handful of motion picture soundtracks. Once I hit the big stage, I secured endorsements with my favorite music companies Yamaha, Vic Firth, and Zildjian—placing me on rosters next to my drumming heroes. I feel so very blessed.

How I got there was really nothing more than a lifetime of preparation, trial, and plenty of error coupled with eventually landing in the right place at the right time. Bascially, I just followed my nose…said “Yes” to as many opportunities as I could…fought through all manner of crippling self doubt and insecurity…but most importantly‚ I resolved to never quit. It’s one of my mantras. Honestly, the “never quitting” thing is probably more responsible for my success than anything else.

The lessons I’ve learned along the way: (1) Not everyone had my best interests in mind. This is commonplace and therefore may not deserve its own spotlight, but I was an easy target. I believed what others told me (naive), so it was a hard-learned lesson. When you have something that others want, they will sometimes deploy any tactic to get it—including engaging in treachery and deceit. (2) Focusing on becoming the very best I could be was both challenging and invigorating but was not enough on its own to catapult me to success in the larger entertainment industry. At some point, I had to switch gears and launch a marketing campaign. (I didn’t call it ‘marketing’ at the time, but that’s exactly what it was.) I shot promotional photos, recorded demos, assembled relevant press clippings, typed up bios and resumes, assembled everything and began cold-calling every studio producer/owner/manager I could find in the phone book trying to book meetings, along with pestering friends of mine who were already succeeding in the industry and asking for recommendations and/or referrals.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would want them to experience the soaring views from atop Stone Mountain, the largest fully-exposed dome of granite in the world. I grew up in the city of Stone Mountain as a kid; the same place where I got my start playing drums. Equally breathtaking would be the views from the restaurant Sundial, which exists a whopping 723 feet about the ground. Once upon a time, the entire floor of the Sundial would rotate very slowly, providing customers with a full 360 degree view of Atlanta over the course of dinner. While it no longer rotates, it’s still an incredible experience. Depending on their tastes, I might also take them downtown to Buckhead for some fine dining. And if they like art, then possibly an Atlanta Symphony orchestra performance and/or a visit to the High Museum of Art or Fernbank Museum (which also has a planetarium!)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate a shoutout to Napoleon Hill and his book “Think and Grow Rich”. This book was the first of many inspirational writings that utterly captivated my attention where manifestation was concerned. Since then, I’ve come to believe that we are masters of our own universes; although, I am still learning it all and continually practicing.

Website: tomleighknight.com

Instagram: @tomleighknight

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomleighknight/

Facebook: facebook.com/TomLeighKnight