Singer/Songwriter
Multi-instrumentalist
Web Technician
Tom just finished recording his debut CD "Folk Songs & Sea Shanty's" with The Mizzen Men this past
winter and is looking forward to hitting the road this summer as part of the Maritime Folk Festival Circuit.
Check out the band's MYSPACE website at: http://www.myspace/mizzenmen
Tom is a songwriter / multi-instrumentalist / web technician from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
He began playing guitar, (self taught), at the age of 3 on his dad's 1956 Gibson J-45 acoustic.
It didn't take very long before he had his own guitar,
a small-bodied 'Degas', his folks bought Tom for $15 at age 8. By the ripe old age of 9 years, Tom was playing at local concerts,
in his home of Sydney, Cape Breton. Tom's home was a virtual musical playground. Aside from his father,
who is also a great musician, Tom's uncle's and grandfather, always brought their guitars, mandolins, fiddles,
and button accordions to the house each week for jam sessions and Ceilidh's. Like many Cape Breton homes,
Tom's place was literally an ongoing concert hall, ringing with old country tunes, and Scottish and Irish Ballads,
until the wee hours of the morning.
While he had early rock and blues influences like Stevie Ray Vaughn & Colin James, Tom couldn't get enough of guitar superstars
such as Chet Atkins, Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Mark Knofler. Later he began learning the stylings of local Cape Breton
"greats" like Gordie Sampson, Dave MacIsaac, J.P. Cormier, & John Allen Cameron as well as other world renown instrumentalists
such as Tommy Emmanuel and Andrew White. Playing in some 20+ cover bands as a sideman throughout the 1980's & 90's, Tom quickly began
to master the guitar, mandolin, dobro, harmonica, and bass.
In 1997, Tom reunited at his 20 year high school reunion, with his old friend and fellow Mizzen Man Wayne Burke,
the two having played together in high school in the 70's. Tom's played many times with Wayne and The Mizzen Men since that time,
but in the past year, has joined the band permanently. check out The Mizzen Men at
http://www.myspace.com/mizzenmen
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Some of Tom's instruments including a 1956 Gibson Acoustic (top/far left),
'90's Cort Acoustic (top/2nd from left), the 1967 Degas (top center), 1975 Yamaha Classical (top/4th from left),
1976 Gibson 12 string (far right). Other instruments below include a 1997 Strat, 1976 Les Paul,
and 1995 Epiphone Mandolin. *Missing is a 2005 Galveston Round Neck Dobro(seen in bottom photo on this page).
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Tom's Home Pre-Production Studio!
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