Tommy Steele OBE (born 17 December 1936 in London, England) is an English entertainer . Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock 'n' roll star . Born Thomas William Hicks in Mason Street, Bermondsey, London, England, his cheeky Cockney image and boy-next-door looks won him success as a musician, singer and actor . Before landing a singing career, Steele tried his hand at a number of odd jobs and had a brief spell as a merchant seaman . Like many singers of his era he never did national service, having failed the medical examination because, at 18 years old, he was diagnosed as suffering with cardiomyopathy (According to his autobiography "Bermondsey Boy" he failed the medical because he had flat feet) While on leave or during dock strikes, he played guitar and banjo and sang in The 2i's Coffee Bar and The Cat's Whisker where hand-jiving was devised, both coffee houses in Soho, both as a solo performer and with Wally Whyton's Vipers Skiffle Group . When a ship Steele was serving on docked in Norfolk, Virginia, he heard Buddy Holly and fell in love with rock 'n' roll, turning his back on the British skiffle craze . He was discovered by free lance photographer John Kennedy, who believed Steele could be Britain's answer to Elvis Presley. Later co-manager Larry Parnes is incorrectly credited with creating the stage name 'Tommy Steele.' It was Steele who adapted the surname of his Scandinavian paternal grandfather, Thomas Stil-Hicks (pronounced Steel-Hicks), adding another E to the spelling. In late 2009 his greatest hits collection, The Very Best Of..., reached the top 30 of the British charts, this was the first chart entry Steele had enjoyed since the 1960s. .