tom hampton

Bio:

ARTISTS I HAVE PLAYED WITH INCLUDE:
poco
eric andersen
robert hazard
craig bickhardt
jim photoglo
john lilley (of the hooters)
larry burnett (of firefall)
vonda sheppard
don henry
karen savoca and pete heitzman
idlewheel (craig bickhardt and jack sundrud of poco)
julie gold
dan may
jim femino
frank stallone
michael tolcher
jd malone
skip denenberg
kassie miller
blake allen
charlie degenhart
kyle swartzwelder
amanda penecale
jim stanson
nik everett
boris garcia
ben arnold
the barley boys






PLAYING LIVE:









CRAIG BICKHARDT:

"Seriously, I've never played with a better all around musician in my life."

(Craig is a nashville songwriting legend, authoring five top ten songs, and another two hundred cut by artists like The Judds, Martina McBride, Kathy Mattea, and more)



LARRY BURNETT:

"..I was struck by what seems to be a powerful blend of two voices - my baritone under your lines, a la Rick Roberts...I'm dying to hear more of what it might sound like."

(Larry is a founding member of seventies supergroup FIREFALL)



CRAIG WHITE:

"You're a fantastic musician, and its been such a blast for me to catch all the magic and spark that you bring to the table. Trust me when I say that you and I will do things in the future for sure !!!"

(Craig is the chief engineer at legendary Philadelphia International Records - the studio owned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, where they churned out the long line of hits that made up "The Philadelphia Sound")



DAN MAY:

" Tom's playing is always tasteful and sensitive to the melody. My comfort level onstage is always high when I'm sharing the stage with Tom. He's like a musical safety net."

(Dan is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and recording artist with whom Tom records and tours on a regular basis.)



BEN WITTMAN:

"...a pleasure playing with you. You've got a great sound."

(Ben is a drummer's drummer and accomplished producer in his own right, having helmed records for Lucy Kaplansky and Jonatha Brooke - most recently on the road with Paula Cole.)



DARCIE MINER:

"...easy to work with and hugely talented (!)"

(Darcie is a phenomenally talented singer/songwriter from the Central Pennsylvania area whos' used Tom on several recording dates, including sessions for her upcoming album, to be released in 2009.)



JAMES RALSTON:

"you sure do make that look easy, man...wow."

(James currently tours with Vonda Sheppard, and was Tina Turners' longtime touring guitarist.)



SKIP DENENBERG:

"Yo, Tom - My sincere thanks for lending your time and talents to 'Lucky Man' - you certainly had a big part in its development..."

(Skip is a Philadelphia based songwriter whose song, "Lucky Man", was featured on the DVD release of "Invincible", starring Mark Wahlberg as Philadelphia sports legend Vince Papale.)



BLAKE ALLEN:

"Tom is the Swiss Army Knife of session musicians."

(Aunt Pat alumnus Blake Allen used Tom extensively on his first solo album, "Ghosting", as well as for live performances.)











i was honored to spend a sizable chunk of 2008 in robert hazards' road band, and accompanying robert at solo acoustic shows. his talents as a writer, singer, and performer were immense, and every time i hear one of his songs, it reminds me just how little time it takes to leave your mark on other people.

rest easy, robert. we'll do this again, somewhere down the road.





THE USUAL STUFF...BULLET POINTS:



born a long time ago. started as a drummer. took up guitar when i realized that songs written behind the drumkit were often monotonous and never very melodic. joined the navy out of high school. took guitar along, left drums at home (they don't travel well). never went back.

began playing solo acoustic shows in bars after moving to pennsylvania out of navy. started writing songs. released first album in 1991, playing most of the instruments on the record. slowly began to concentrate on original music after epiphany that no one ever got a record deal because they did a bitchin' version of "brown eyed girl". became host of open mike at grape st. pub in mid 90's. released second album, "our mutual angels" in 1997. signed with management, did some great gigs, ate lots of crappy food and slept in my van in the dead of winter until i'd had about enough, thank you very much.

joined a band and found that i loved playing music just as much when i didn't have to worry about selling CD's or getting press. began taking on sideman and session work for other singer/songwriters whose music i connected with. did a slew of gigs and sessions for people like bet williams, polar creep, june rich, nik everett, charlie degenhart, skip denenberg, marty higgins, michael tolcher, ben arnold, robert reilley, john conti, charlie heffley, darcie miner, the barley boys, boris garcia...slid into the seat behind the mixing console, co-producing the admittedly brilliant debut album from aunt pat alumnus blake allen, titled "ghosting". got to bring out all the guns on that one - played guitar, bass, lap steel, dobro, mandolin, hawaiian guitar, some banjo...layered in some harmonies...the whole nine yards. co-produced the third barley boys record, titled "no more shenanigans" and played mandolin and pedal steel on that one...also got the honor of playing dobro, mandolin, lap steel, and 12 string electric guitar on a song called "lucky man" by longtime friend skip denenberg, which ended up in the "invincible" DVD...we recorded it at the legendary philadelphia international records studios, home to PhillySound creators Gamble and Huff...where all those amazing records were made back in the 70's. the vibe is still there - engrained in the shag carpeting that covers the walls.

skip and i also worked together on "he wore number one", which was featured prominently in the documentary "Richie Ashburn - A Baseball Life". the movie kicked off the 2008 philadelphia film festival at the prince theatre that april, and is now available on DVD.

played baritone guitar, lap and pedal steel guitar on the newly released debut solo record from john lilley of the hooters, and am thrilled to be appearing live with john as part of his band. john is a class act, and a great guy to play with.

finished working on the latest album from craig bancoff, tentatively titled eden, at kawari sound with matt muir and adam winokur - i played damn near everything i'm capable of playing on this one - lap and pedal steel, dobro, mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin, banjo, electric guitars of various shapes and sizes - and it's a record that i'm particularly proud of. i can't wait for you to get the chance to hear it. craig's music is phenomenal, and it was an honor to be a part of it.

i played some acoustic guitar on a couple of tracks from the third dan may album, the long road home, which was recorded at morningstar studios with glenn barrat at the helm...we did basic tracks with the phenomenal rhythm section of chico huff and ben wittman dan is reuniting with longtime producer anthony newett for his next studio record, which will feature tom "on the usual slew of instruments" and at least one song co-written with dan.

collaborating with some great musicians (including sandy ficca, david muse, and mark andes of firefall fame) on a new project from colorado singer and songwriter tony rosario - we're doing this one via pro-tools and FTP, so i'm not sure what the timeline looks like - but the songs are solid and it's been fun thus far. :)

have been doing random sessions for the second solo album from blake allen, tentatively titled the art of the high and the low - what i've heard of it thus far is typical of blake...which is to say, amazing. not sure where the trajectory of that release sits, but it'll be worth the wait.

also appearing on the latest solo release from jd malone, due out in 2010, playing baritone guitar, pedal steel, banjo, mandolin, dobro, and lap steel guitar.

will be playing on the as-yet-unnamed 2010 release from kyle swartzwelder - still selecting material at this point, but sessions start soon.

played pedal steel, baritone guitar, and my lowell george deluxe strat slide rig on amanda penecale's latest release, chalkboard this past year.

still awaiting the fate of the album i did last year with jon itkin - we recorded eleven songs in two days for the new album, and they're very strong...it's going to have a solid identity. i was honored to be part of a studio house band that included michael daves (who had to leave the sessions the second night to go play with chris thile...slacker.) and george rush, bassist with fellow brooklynites HEM. we sweated our collective asses off, but it was a blast!

also still excited to hear the next john eddie record, which is being done at a kickass studio in hoboken called the pigeon club, with none other than t-bone wolk (hall and oates, SNL band, plus many, many more) at the helm...i played pedal and lap steel and 12 string electric guitar on a couple of tracks. considering how adept T-bone is at so many instruments, it was both a pleasant surprise and an honor to get such a call...and T-bone is a blast to work with.

have been working closely with my good friend jim salamone in his amazing new room, cambridge sound on several projects that are underway at the same time, and having a blast coming up with parts and odd noises for jim's projects. thus far: pedal steel, weissenborn hawaiian guitar, mandolin (both six and eight string, believe it or not), mandola, octave mandolin and such. we've done everything from personal projects in the bluegrass gospel vein to karma parking from ireland, as well as amanda penecale's latest release, zygo and the deuce, max seidman and a smattering of others. jim's been great to me, and i know for a fact that we'll be working together on other projects down the road...

and...there's still rumors of that second idlewheel album...who knows?



in addition to working with my small stable of regulars, i'm taking some time of late to cull through my archives of live recordings and demos - some of which will be interspersed with new recordings - to compile home alone - acoustic recordings from the archives...a collection of solo acoustic songs that i've unearthed while sifting through my stockpile of unrecorded and unreleased material in preparation for my next studio album. i'd love to tell you when it'll be done, but frankly - i have no idea.

Member Since:

April 02, 2005

Members:

depends on who picks up the phone at a given time... :) ..

Influences:

john leventhal, mike campbell, david lindley, buddy miller, larry campbell, david grissom, lindsey buckingham, duane allman, dan fogelberg, marc cohn, stephen stills, eric clapton, ry cooder, all the guitarists in skynyrd, joe walsh, marc goldenberg, john jennings, paul cotton, rusty young, sneaky pete kleinow, ben keith, steuart smith, richard thompson, duke levine, vince gill...



john gorka, patty griffin, jackson browne, fleetwood mac, joni mitchell, jimmie spheeris, janis ian, karla bonoff, poco, david wilcox, pure prairie league, little feat, james taylor, kim richey, don williams, mary chapin carpenter, b.w. stevenson, buffalo springfield, eugene ruffolo, chris whitley, counting crows, emmylou harris, michael hedges, nick drake, richard shindell...

Sounds Like:

what i sound like is probably heavily dependent on what i have in my hands at a given time...and you can attach all the innuendo you want to that statement, but it's largely true.

Record Label:

Unknown Indie