 Like
many before, Tom Hunter’s passion for music was born out of
the church. Singing in the choir and watching his sisters at the
piano, he developed an ardor for these musical instruments. Not
one to be instructed, Hunter taught himself to play the piano
and discovered blues from the preacher’s son who showed him a
blues progression. Hunter’s path took him in and out of blues
& jazz music for many years until he realized it was his
life.
After a semester at music school for
voice in 1982, Hunter joined the navy where he started playing
piano seriously. He didn’t realize his talent until after the
navy when he relocated to the Hudson valley. Hanging out at some
local jams, fellow musicians hired him to play in their bands.
Among those was Bill Perry, who Hunter played with full-time in
the early 90’s.
From New York, Hunter moved to South
Carolina in 1994 to play with George Davis and went into a house
gig in Myrtle Beach where he performed on piano and bass for
nearly three years. He then went back on the road with Bill
Perry and played piano on Perry’s CD, “Greycourt
Lightning” (PointBlank Records 1998). Around the same time
Hunter also played and recorded with such contemporaries as Pete
Kanaras (Nighthawks), Murali Coryell (Chess Records), and Little
Sammy Davis (Delmark Records).
Upon moving to Minneapolis in 1997, Tom
found gigs with Big John Dickerson and Blue Chamber (Cannonball
Records), and by the end of the year he was lending his vocal
and keyboard talents to the Big Bang. His performances with that
band got the attention of Bernard Allison (Ruff Records /
Tone-Cool Records), who hired Tom on the spot to not only record
on "Times are Changing," but also to tour extensively
with the band.
In 1999 Hunter achieved another step up
the music ladder when he joined Mary Cutrufello in support of
The Allman Brothers Band 30th Anniversary Tour. The same year
Hunter released his debut self-produced album, “Big Thunder”
and formed his own band playing in the Minneapolis area. Now in
its fifth pressing, “Big Thunder” stands as a testament to
Hunter's understanding and mastery of the roots of blues and
jazz.
His second self-produced album “Tom
Hunter and the Blue Frenzy, Live at the Narrows,” recorded in
2004 captured the matchless energy of a live concert without
sacrificing the integrity of studio-quality sound.
His third album, “Here I Go Again”
(FS Music 2006) contains two original pieces of work, the title
track and “Nothing’s for Free.” The other ten tracks have
all been arranged by Hunter and include “New York State of
Mind” (Billy Joel) with stellar saxophone courtesy of Peter
Vircks, “Drown in My Own Tears” (Ray Charles) and “New
Coat of Paint” (Ton Waits).
Tom Hunter brings not only years of
experience, but also a live show honed by performance after
performance (over 300 dates a year) that unleashes
no-holds-barred music and brings the crowd along for the crazy
ride. From solo to full band, Tom Hunter covers the musical
spectrum from smoky jazz to gut-bucket Chicago blues.
TOM
HUNTER SAYS, "Thanks to Minnesota music lovers, our fans
& friends we are proud to announce our DECEMBER BENEFIT CD
RELEASE PARTIES raised $1000.
"We
presented this $1000 Gift Check to 2nd Harvest Heartland food
shelves just in time for Christmas."
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