Thomas Young's Journal

Recently, the Mayor of Detroit Michigan honored tenors Cook Dixon & Young with a proclamation, and the City Council of Detroit issued a Resolution to the Tenors. The following in the acceptance speech written delivered by Thomas Young on behalf of Victor Trent Cook, Rodrick Dixon.

President Cockrel, Distinguished Members of the City Council, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I have been asked to respond to the extraordinary honor you have bestowed on us.

When I was in elementary school, I read a story about Abraham Lincoln in which there was a description of his responses to questions from reporters. He was asked how long it would take him to prepare a two minute speech. To which the President replied, "About two weeks". Subsequent to that question, the President was asked how long it would take him to prepare a one hour speech. The President replied, "About one week." Finally, the President was asked how long it would take him to prepare a two hour speech. The President responded by saying, "I am ready right now."

I was impressed with President Lincoln's respect for language and the care he exercised in the use of language.

You have honored us by presenting us with a document filled with the kind of language reserved for a very few. It is a singular honor which elevates us and at the same time, disturbs us, in the sense that it stirs us up. This document spurs us to service. This document tasks us to endeavor to be worthy of the honor you have bestowed on us. I am reminded of a Haitian prayer: "Lord disturb my peace, that I might bring peace to those who are disturbed."

Thank you again for this honor. Thank you for this moment of grace.

Thomas J. Young
September 22, 2006

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank our fans for their generosity and support. This blog will serve as a preliminary explanation for our relative lack of visibility over the past three years.

1. We (Cook Dixon & Young) were originally approached as accomplished and experienced individual performers to participate in the project "3 Mo Tenors".
2. Then, with neither our knowledge nor our consent, the "concept" for this project was elevated above our talent when people began to respond to our work.
3. The producers have used our voices, likenesses, and the reviews we earned with our talent to sell another group.
4. Then, they sued us in both state and federal court to prevent us from singing together.

The producers would have you believe that three established artists would agree to hand over their intellectual property in perpetuity for no monetary compensation whatsoever.

The producers expect you to believe that we would participate in the creation of a product which is absolutely unique to this business only to allow them to cheapen that product by franchising it.
As of this writing, no other tenors have performed the original concert but Victor Trent Cook, Rodrick Dixon and Thomas Young.

In federal court, the attorney for the 3MT producers stated, in substance, that prior to our participation in this project we had achieved no individual artistic, financial, or public success. That is a lie. My work over the last 40 years is a matter of public record.

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check out www.tenorscookdixonyoung.com for more dates!
newest is at the Apollo Theater in NYC on December 2, 2006!

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