There was so much excitement for music at the time, and much of it had to do with the Beatles. The Beatles inspired probably more bands than we will ever know, and they certainly inspired me.

I was a senior in high school at the time. Everybody was playing the Beatles; everybody liked the music.

The thing about Beatles music is that everybody knows it. If you play Beatles music, the audience is already there, and they're waiting to be entertained by you. All of a sudden, they're transformed to another place.

If I go back to when I was 18 years old, here was this group writing songs and playing rock 'n' roll songs like nobody else. It was amazing.

There's no one better than Tommy to bring the excitement of music competition to the next level. And judging from the early buzz about the show, this may indeed become the ultimate insider, transforming how people view these types of programs and of course, creating new musical careers.

I love Christmas music and there's nothing like getting together with friends at Christmas time to celebrate with music the incredible reality of the Savior's birth.