Thom Greathouse

"One of the marvelous choral teachers I am privileged to work with gave me a mug because, in her words, it describes me completely:"

Thom was born and raised in southwest Missouri, 4 1/2 miles south of Roscoe, a small village of a just over 100 people.  The youngest of seven children, all very musical, he learned to pick out tunes on the piano before the age of 3.  Soon harmonies were added and before long playing hymns by ear was nothing. He begged for piano lessons but the teachers in the area were afraid to teach him, thinking he would soon become bored with the simplicity of beginning piano and quit.  Finally Mrs. Lillie Francis (Miss Lillie) a retired 2^nd grade teacher, who had taught in a one-room schoolhouse until the district was unified in 1959, accepted the challenge. 

“He can learn to read music.  I played by ear before taking music lessons and I’ll see to it that he learns.”

It worked.  It could have been that he was terrified of Miss Lillie or because he loved her dearly, but most likely was a combination of the two.  He wanted to learn and she would settle for nothing less than perfection.

Organs always meant something special was happening.  Sometimes it was sad, like a funeral, but they played the organ.  The Rural Electric Association had a yearly meeting each summer.  A woman from Springfield was always there with a Hammond organ and Leslie speakers and “Tommy” insisted the family sit down front, right by the organ so he could watch.  So fascinating!  Keys to play, knobs and “slide-y things” to push, pull and turn; and all those pedals for your feet; all at the same time! 

Going to stay at Grandma’s was the epitome of organ fantasia! At her church was a pipe organ and Sunday was always too far away. 

“It looks like giant crayons.”

“What are those doors that keep opening and closing?”

“Why’s she pulling on all those knobs?”

Grandma hushed him with a promise of going up to the organ after church.  They did and a love affair began.

Thom majored in organ until a drunk driver nearly ended his life and caused too much leg damage to ever have the pedal technique of a “true” concert organist.

He serves as a church organist and still loves to thrill audiences with his “harmonious, melodious, tuneful, you hum it I’ll play it, marvelous musicianship.”