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Tommy Dix, originally named Thomas Paine Brittain Navard, was born in New York City. He attended the High School of Music & Art, founded by New York Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, and gained national fame after appearing on Major Bowes' Amateur Hour in 1936. In 1941, he was selected to perform "Buckle Down, Winsocki" in the Broadway musical Best Foot Forward and recorded the song with Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, making the 78 rpm record a major hit.
MGM acquired the film rights to Best Foot Forward and retained several Broadway cast members for the movie. Tommy was among them, and upon arriving in Hollywood, he was cast in the lead role so his character could perform the spirited fight song "Buckle Down, Winsocki" at the film’s conclusion. The production cost of Best Foot Forward, one of only four Technicolor films MGM produced that year, was $1,410,850. The movie earned $2,704,000 at the box office.
Tommy joined the military in September 1943 but was medically discharged due to complications from his childhood Celiac disease. He then enjoyed success as a nightclub performer throughout the late 1940s. In the summer of 1946, he married Margaret Ann "Maggie" Grayson, and they had two children, Grayson and Brittain.
In 1950, Tommy left show business to work for his father-in-law’s prosperous construction and lumber company in Birmingham, Alabama. After 13 years of marriage, Tommy and Maggie divorced in 1959. He then entered the construction and real estate industry in Florida, where he achieved considerable success.
Tommy currently resides in Virginia.
