Tom Hambridge

Tom Hambridge
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Jay Hambridge
Born	(1960-12-20) December 20, 1960 Buffalo, New York, United States
Genres	Rock, country, blues
Occupation(s)	Record producer, musician, songwriter, singer
Instruments	Drums, vocals
Labels	Artemis Records, Superstar Records, EMI Music Publishing, Black Rose, Ocean Records, UTR Music Group
Associated acts	Buddy Guy, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Hank Williams, Jr., Boston, Chuck Berry, Felix Cavaliere, Bo Diddley, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Billy Ray Cyrus, the JaneDear girls, Delbert McClinton, BB King, Meat Loaf, Quinn Sullivan, Joe Louis Walker, Wayne Baker Brooks, Guitar Shorty, Tommy Castro, Jim Suhler, Steve Cropper, Murali Coryell, Joanna Smith, Danny Gokey, Jeffrey Steele, Gretchen Wilson, Jack Ingram, Johnny Winter, Taylor Hicks, Keith Anderson, Van Zant, Ashley Judd, Shemekia Copeland, Billy Gibbons, Susan Tedeschi, Jonny Lang, Rodney Atkins, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Montgomery Gentry, Joe Nichols, Marty Sammon, Pat Greene, NRBQ
Website	Official Website

Thomas Jay "Tom" Hambridge^[1] (born December 20, 1960)^[2] is an American rock, country, and blues, producer, songwriter, musician and vocalist. Hambridge has received a Grammy Award,^[3] an ASCAP award,^[4] four Grammy nominations,^[5] seven Boston Music Awards, and has been inducted into the Buffalo Hall of Fame.^[6] Hambridge's songs have been recorded by several notable artists and have been featured in movie productions, commercials and television programs. He has been referred to as "The White Willie Dixon" by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Buddy Guy^[7] and Susan Tedeschi's "Secret Weapon".^[8]

Biography

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Hambridge began learning the drums at the age of 5. He played his first paying gig, a bar mitzvah, in third grade. Throughout his school years, Hambridge played in garage bands, his high school orchestra and jazz band. After graduating from high school in 1979, he received a scholarship at Boston's Berklee College of Music.^[9]

Tom Hambridge

He received his degree in Professional Music in 1983. After graduation, he worked for three years as drummer and lead singer for the blues guitarist Roy Buchanan. While working with Buchanan, Hambridge contributed as a musician on Buchanan's release, Live: Amazing Grace.^[10] In the meantime, he formed the band "T.H. and the Wreckage". In 1988, the band released Born to Rock,^[11] one of several independent, self-produced albums Hambridge has completed. Born To Rock was the first of the many Boston Music Awards he has received. In the meantime, he assisted promoters assemble backup bands for artists such as Bo Diddley, Percy Sledge, Chuck Berry, Gary Puckett, and Sha Na Na.^[6]

Hambridge released his own album Still Running in 1996.^[12]

In 1997, he produced Susan Tedeschi's Just Won't Burn. Hambridge wrote Tedeschi's Top 10 hits "Rock Me Right" and "It Hurt So Bad".^[13] In the meantime, he also released his own album Balderdash in 2000.^[14] Hambridge received a subsequent 2004 Grammy nomination (Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album) for his contributions on Johnny Winter's release I'm A Bluesman ("Cheatin' Blues" and "Lone Wolf").^[15] Shortly thereafter, Hambridge released his album Bang N' Roll (2004) and the album Live (2007).^[16]

In 2008, he received Grammy nominations (Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album) for his work on Buddy Guy's Skin Deep. Skin Deep debuted at number 68 on the Billboard 200 which was the highest position of any of Guy's previous albums, and was number 1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart. Hambridge released his own album Boogieman (2009).^[17] In 2011, he won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album for co-writing and producing Buddy Guy's album Living Proof.^[18]

He was credited as the producer, songwriter and percussionist for George Thorogood and the Destroyers 2011 release 2120 South Michigan Ave., which included the song "Going Back" that reached number 1 on Classic Rock Radio. Also in 2011, he wrote and produced B. B. King and Buddy Guy's duet "Stay Around A Little Longer."^[19]

Other recognized successes include writing/co-writing all songs on Quinn Sullivan's release Cyclone^[20] (2011, number 7 on the Billboard Blues charts, July 30, 2011).^[21]

In 2011, Hambridge released his CD Boom!^[22]

Hambridge's songs and productions have also appeared on a variety of television shows, movies and commercials. These include "It Hurt's So Bad" (Susan Tedeschi) on PBS's Austin City Limits,^[23] Autumn Hearts,^[24] VH1's Born To Diva,^[25] NBC's Conan O'Brien,^[26] and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.^[27] In addition, "Rock Me Right" (Susan Tedeschi) appeared in Autumn Hearts,^[24] David Letterman Show, NASCAR Rocks II (1999),^[28] and Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas.^[29] "I Fell In Love" (Susan Tedeschi) appeared on the Bug soundtrack.^[30] Plus, "Road Trip" and "I Got A New Car" (Tom Hambridge) appeared in the movie Cars. "Flying By" (Billy Ray Cyrus) appeared in the film, Flying By.

On February 21, 2012, Tom joined Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Mick Jagger, BB King and others in a performance for the White House's "Red, White and Blues" Black History Month celebration concert. During the performance, President Barack Obama provided a brief history of the Blues and accompanied the group during the song "Sweet Home Chicago".

Credits

References

External links

• Official website
• Discography at Billboard Magazine
• ASCAP - Tom Hambridge Registered Songs and Additional Information
• AllMusic Biography