A person much wiser than me said over 2,000 years ago that a prophet is better known everywhere except in his hometown.  I think that statement is applicable to Tommy Reynolds, known to the world of radio and entertainment in the Mid-South as Tommy Jett.  His persona includes sunglasses and rings on every finger of his hands, but his legacy includes more.
My wife, June, and I recently attended the Tommy Jett 15th Annual Entertainers Reunion in Chattanooga and were impressed by the outpouring of admiration for the Smithville native. The reunions raise money each year for a charity of choice while providing a venue for radio and television folks, singers, musicians, songwriters and others to get together and reminisce about the bygone years. The most recent one benefitted Hospice of Chattanooga.
The son of Jim Grady and Annie Nixon Reynolds, Tommy got the radio bug through listening to and being friends with Sammy Hale and Audie Ashworth, two popular personalities in the 1950s on WBMC Radio in McMinnville.  Like Tommy, both Hale and Ashworth went on to major success in the entertainment world.
Tommy attended broadcasting school in Nashville; later landed a job in Georgia before making his big mark in Chattanooga at WFLI, a popular rock & roll station back then.  Incidentally, two other Smithville natives also worked at Jet Fly in the 1960s: Dale (Anthony) Cantrell and Nick Smith.
In 1993, Tommy and two friends, Larry Mason and Eugene Coleman, were talking when Tommy remarked that it would be great to have a simple gathering of their radio and television buds along with other entertainers.  It was unanimous among the three; thus the genesis for The Tommy Jett Entertainers Reunion, named accordingly because of Tommy's popularity.  
In addition to his radio celebrity, Tommy organized, promoted and was master of ceremonies for sock hops and  rock & roll concerts.  Except for a few years when Tommy had major medical problems, including heart surgery and with his diabetes, the reunion has grown into a much-anticipated event. 
Tommy and his buddies then saw another opportunity through their network of friends.  With Coleman also being a minister of the gospel, they decided to expand their efforts into a Christian ministry, fashioned after a similar outreach in Nashville started by a sister of country music legend Johnny Cash.  Carpenter's Cowboy Church of Chattanooga was then born.
Minister Coleman and the church cater to entertainers and anyone with difficultly attending regular Sunday morning services by providing afternoon worship opportunities.  Services in the early years were held in a nightclub because of free rent, a built -in sound system and a central location in Chattanooga.  The ministry is now housed in a conventional church building just outside of downtown. 
After 50 years of being on the radio, Tommy is still known as TJ the DJ; fastest Jett in the air; and his memorable words “hey now.”  He has the ability to make those around him laugh or have them consider more serious matters.  Many wayfaring souls have been reconciled through Christian faith because of Tommy's concern for them.
Pastor Coleman provided a good case in point, “I met Tommy through a member of the church where I was leading nearly 20 years ago.  I also had a nightly television talk show.  It was suggested that I have Tommy on the show because of his popularity.”
“During the show, viewers were invited to call in and express their opinions on topics of the day or to chat with my guest. After interviewing Tommy, I opened the telephone lines (five of them) for calls.  The lines were lit solidly.  In fact, I took calls even after I ended the broadcast.  I had never seen anything like it before.”
He added, “Many people see the flamboyant side of Tommy, the media personality, but there is a tremendous spiritual depth to him.  He reminds me of what I call 'the tender side of Elvis Presley'; a kind and gentle man with a lot of love and loyalty for others.”
Concerning the Carpenter's Cowboy Church of Chattanooga and the early vision given it by Pastor Coleman, Larry Mason, and Tommy, over 6,000 decisions have been made for Christ since the ministry began nearly two decades ago in a nightclub.
Nick Smith, a longtime friend, Smithville native and former broadcaster, who now resides in Crossville, remembers a humorous side to Tommy, “Once WFLI had a promotion on behalf of a business in Athens, Tennessee. Part of the gimmick was for us radio personalities to ride bicycles from the station to where the business was located.  After everyone else had taken his pick, the only bicycle remaining was one made for two riders.  I was in front with Tommy sitting on the second seat.
“We did pretty well until it came to climbing some of the steep hills headed towards Athens. I was absolutely exhausted, but Tommy kept encouraging by reminding me of the childhood story about the little train that refused to stop: I think I can, I think I can. I then realized that Tommy was not peddling; instead I was doing all the work.”
Now nearly 72, Tommy has slowed his pace a little because of the medical issues and a recent automobile accident.  A one-vehicle mishap, his car careened off the road, hit a guard rail and flipped five times.  It took authorities and medical personnel two hours to extricate him from the twisted wreckage.  Looking at photographs of the damaged car, one would be convinced that Tommy is fortunate to be alive. 
He believes that God spared his life for reasons both physical and spiritual. TJ the DJ continues to be the fastest Jett in the air through the Internet and on local radio.
 For proof, log onto www.tommyjett.com .