Tom Morey: a skilled jazz musician

Tom Morey is often called a contemporary Renaissance man, and it is easy to understand why. The creator of the boogie board is continuously deepening his interest in all aspects of life.

Morey not only invented the bodyboard and a whole new sport, but he is also a prolific drummer, a competent ukulele player, and a modern-day philosopher.

The aeronautical engineer from Detroit is the founding member of the Four Eyed Five (1952), the Tom Morey Quartet (1954), and The Original Laguna Jazz Quartet.

Music has always been an essential aspect of his life. Whether he is banging the drums or striking the strings, Morey puts his whole heart, brain, and soul into it.

"I've made a pretty portion of living for 30 or 40 years as a drummer. At 14, I started making my first money," explains Tom Morey.

"At seven, I had an epiphany where I was in a little play in a trailer park with some girls that lived in one of the trailers, and it came up that a drummer was needed, and I volunteered.

"I found a couple of sticks; there was a trash can that I hit a few times and was enthralled. In today's language, you would say I had an epiphany, but I was completely turned on by the fact that there was a stuff called rhythm."

Jazzy Morey

Here's why Morey believe there's no rhythm in one beat:

Tom Morey also loves playing the ukulele. In fact, he even composed a song inspired by the thrill of riding a bodyboard. It's called "Boogie Song."

"The ukulele is one of the greatest inventions of mankind," says Tom Morey, the inventor-surfer-musician also known as "Y."

Need a few ukulele lessons? Morey shares a few useful tips:

Finally, here's a full song - "Cannon Blues" - played live in November 2007.

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