Malcolm Arison, Stephen DiJoseph, Richard Ray Farrell, Karl Werne, Big Wide Grin, Richard Thompson, Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, Louis Armstrong, Steeleye Span, Metamora, Fairport Convention, Woody Guthrie, Utah Phillips, Arlo Guthrie, Eric Bibb, Oscar Lopez, and thousands more.
I've been playing music for over 30 years. I sing and play guitar, mandolin, and upright bass. I now have four CD's completed. The first three have been published, and are available on the internet at CDBaby.com. They are Tom Grant - "Streams of Consciousness", and two from my former band, Jive Five Minus Two, entitled "Dem Bones" and "The Troubadours of Troubled Times" I've recently finished another solo CD entitled "Little Room", but it's not published yet. The tunes that you can hear playing on this site are from that recording. The styles run the gambit from sparse acoustic blues to a capella British folk to reggae to swing. I had help from a lot of talent from the Philadelphia area in making this recording, and I want to thank all of them. Alfred James (who co-produced it with me), Stephen DiJoseph, Paul Downey, Bob Beach, Akire Bubar, Eileen Tipping, Phylis Chappell, Allen James, Sean Peck, Dave Beaver, Jon Dichter, and Miles Grant (my son). Also a couple of folks not from Philly, Malcolm Arison who lives in Berlin, and Claude Arthur from Virginia. Thanks to you all.
Now here's the official bio:
You are energized because his enthusiasm is infectious. You are entertained because he's a showman, not just a singer/songwriter. You are touched because he lays his soul open, and it's real, honest, authentic. You are amazed because he's a musical chameleon, playing more styles than you can count. Born in rural Virginia, he was raised in an atmosphere of parlor music, thinking everyone sang the day through, always surrounded with music. Mom played piano and sang, Dad sang, brothers and sisters played various instruments. Most nights, you'd find all of them gathered around the piano singing old favorites from the 1800's all the way to the present hits. This set the stage for Tom to teach himself guitar, and an adventurous spirit whispered that he should take it on the road. Practicality said "finish college first." Then he packed up and left after school to wander the world as a street musician, playing in 36 states and 11 European countries. While abroad, he met the daughter of famous Italian singer Gino Paoli, and she got him a backup band for a tour of Italy. He played various festivals in Europe, most notably the Nyon Folk Festival in Switzerland alongside Joan Baez, John Sebastian, and John Mayall. A new romance brought him back to the USA, he married and began writing new songs and polishing the ones he penned on the road, performing them at venues throughout North Carolina and Virginia, sharing stages with John McCutcheon, Mike Cross, and John Cephas & Phil Wiggins. A move to Philadelphia brought him to a larger market and studio opportunities. A CD entitled "Streams of Consciousness" and growing number of fans promises he'll be more and more in demand. Lately, he's opened for Trout Fishing in America, Patty Larkin, Simple Gifts, Robin & Linda Williams, the Asylum Street Spankers, Roy Bookbinder, Eric Bibb, and Vance Gilbert. Now he plays solo. Previously, he fronted a trio called the Jive Five Minus Two, and they released two band recordings entitled "Dem Bones" and "The Troubadours of Troubled Times". A fourth disc entitled "Little Room" is complete, but as yet unpublished. The tracks you hear on this page are all from the new CD. Tom has now moved to the North Carolina Piedmont area (outside Greensboro) for a new job.
Tom Grant plays and has written songs in various styles of music including: Swing - Blues - Southern Stringband - Old Time - Contemporary Songwriter - Reggae - Calypso
Major Venues:
Nyon Folk Festival, Nyon Switzerland; Philadelphia Folk Festival, Schwenksville PA; Welcome America Festival, Philadelphia PA; Franklin Park Performing Arts Center, Purcellville, VA; The Point, Bryn Mawr PA; Penn's Landing Winter KidsFest, Philadelphia, PA; Rockwood Museum Festival, Wilmington DE; Shawnee Autumn Balloon Festival, Stroudsburg PA; Acoustic Brew Coffeehouse, State College PA; Mom and Pop's Coffeehouse, Levittown PA; The Minstrel Coffeehouse, Morristown NJ; Godfrey Daniels, Bethlehem PA; The Purple Fiddle, Thomas WV, and countless coffeehouses, restaurants, cafes, bars, street corners, subway tunnels, subway cars, trollies, trams, buses, people's parties, house concerts, and more along the way.
