Current live players are: Jim Wynne, Frank Reino on bass, Roger Schlee or Ray Hangen on drums, Tommy Z on lead vocals and guitar.
Some of the fabulous sidemen that have worked regularly in the band's past include: Reggie Evans, Mike Phelps, Rodney Appleby, Paul Campanella, Aaron Trubic, Jim Morabito, Joe "Swamp Thing" Skinner, Bobby Jones, and Dave Keller.
Studio Musicians: Walt DiRiggo and Red Bacardi on drums.
Influences
Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Johnny Guitar Watson, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Walter, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Meters, Vaughan Bros., BB/Albert/Freddie King, Donny Hathaway, James Brown, Earth Wind and Fire, Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, Pat Martino, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Willis Jackson, Sly Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Johnnie Taylor, Buddy Guy, Wes Montgomery, Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Magic Sam, Doyle Bramhall II, US Armed Forces, Rodney Dangerfield, Lackawanna Al, Joanne Emanuele, Calhoun Tubbs, The Founding Fathers, Ron Paul, Constitution and the list goes on.....
Beginning as a teenager in the talent-rich Western New York music scene, Tommy Z is a guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer/engineer/composer who has been described as a "blues treasure" by legendary WBFO DJ Jim Santella (WBFO), and "one of WNY's best kept secrets" by Sarah French, Blues Matters Magazine. While an electric blues-based stylist, it's not enough to describe the range demonstrated on stage and in the studio. Tommy is an artist who puts that soulful blues feeling into all the different music he plays. As a result he's been been recognized with numerous awards over the years, including being voted Top Blues Vocalist in Western New York 2003/2004/2006, Top Blues Guitarist 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006 and his groups have won the Top Blues/Crossover Blues Band categories 1994, 2005, 2006, was honored with the Muddy Waters Award for "Artist of the Year" by the Blues Society of WNY in 2004. In 2007 Tommy was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. The Tommy Z Band was also voted Best Blues Band in 2009 by Artvoice. He has had the opportunity to perform with/or co-bill with some of the worlds' greatest artists in the blues/rock genre including: B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jeff Healey, Colin James, Roomful of Blues, Blues Traveler, Derek Trucks, Joe Bonamassa, Peter Frampton and many more including a tour backing up Grammy-winning blues legend Pinetop Perkins (Muddy Waters Band). The son of a Vietnam-era veteran, he has been bringing a taste of home to US troops overseas since 2003 with blues-based concert tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Japan, South Korea, Djibouti, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Turkey, Guam, Alaska and other distant locales on behalf of USO/AFE. Rolling Stone Magazine called some of these locations, "The most dangerous gigs on Earth." Tommy contributed guitar tracks to Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan's CD on Immergent called Gillan's Inn, on the track "When A Blind Man Cries," which featured blues-rock legend Jeff Healey. He also appears on rocker Michael Lee Jackson's 2006 Immergent release, "In a Heartbeat." In 2006 a critically acclaimed CD entitled Universal Love was produced with Nick Blagona (BeeGees, Chicago, Police), and it was described as "soul-rockin' blues" by Bob Putignano, NYC Blues Society President and Sounds of Blue DJ (WFDU), "awesome" by Bob Silvestri, Best of WNY, and "should feature high on your list of 'new' acts to investigate" Mick Rainsford, Blues in Britain Magazine.
In addition to his performance schedule, Tommy is a Canisius College graduate, guitar teacher, and composer/producer for Film, TV, Sports, etc. His most recent credits include writing the victory song for the St. Louis Blues (NHL), Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography, Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure, Last Comic Standing (NBC), The Tea Party Movie, Warner Brothers and others.
Tommy is endorsed by and uses the following:
www.mesaboogie.com
www.coloriffic.com
www.rkfx.com
www.graphtech.com
I Got Your Back (Soundcheck)
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Hi Tommy Thank you so much for the add !!! Really love your music ! Amazing voice and playing and what a nice tunes !!! Hope to see you live in the future !
The pleasure was all mine. It was nice being in the presence of such an accomplished musician. I can only hope to have a resume as extensive as yours someday! Stay in touch and take care!
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