Thomas James Grady was born May 16, 1880 in Woonsocket, RI. He was the 6th of 8 children born to immigrant parents Timothy and Catherine “Kate” [Sullivan] Grady.

As a teenager he became a musician, playing trombone in an area band and also conducting the choir for Sacred Heart Church. He graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1904 and directed and produced musical shows throughout New England for ten years. He married Katherine “Kit” Nannery on June 4, 1914 in Fall River, MA.

He was 37 years old when he registered for the WWI Draft in September 1915. He served as the Director of Entertainment and Director of the Navy Band in Newport, RI during the war. He said he was successful in recruiting musicians into the Navy Band because he would visit night clubs in New York City and tell the musicians that they could chose to serve in a combat unit during the war, or they could join the Navy Band. For many, the choice was obvious.

Tom rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and would have liked to make the Navy a career after the war, but he had a young son and his wife did not want their family to have to move as often as the Navy required.

So in 1923 Tom left the Navy and he and Kit settled in his hometown of Woonsocket, RI where he taught music and she taught English. Tom continued to teach music in the Woonsocket school system until his retirement in 1953. He was a much loved and celebrated member of the community until his death on November 29, 1956.