In every musical era there are musicians whose fame is drawn as much on the musicians they bring along with them, as for their own talent. Eddie Condon, Count Basie and John Mayall come to mind. Add to that list Tommy Thomsen and whatever band he's bringing to your town at any given time.

Tommy & Johnny Cuviello Bob Wills Texas Playboy 1945-1948

These days, the world of Western Swing is small compared to the industry giant that has become "Country" music. And, though the genre's heyday was in the 1930's, 40's & 50's, surprisingly, many of the legends of Western Swing are still alive and kicking. They are also "tanned and ready" to play any time dates can be booked. Thomsen has been bringing together these old boys from towns and villages around the Western U.S. for the last thirty years, playing the old time straight-line boogie that made Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys a hit nearly three quarters of a century past.

During the golden age of Western Swing, the bands toured a circuit of night clubs and dance halls that streched from coast to coast. Today many of

Tommy @ Western Swing Hall of Fame Ceremony

these same pickers and fiddlers help Tommy resurrect this classic American good-time music in a modern setting. Thomsen's treatment of the music, while still tightly arranged, offers these senior side men the chance to stretch out, letting their musical personalities really shine through on their respective instruments. And no two shows are the same, or even remotely close to being similiar. Amazing licks, happy harmonies and a raucous, joyful ambience combine to recall a time when Saturday night meant a good time dancing down at the Grange Hall and aspirin in your Coke was considered a high.

Thomsen, who has been inducted into the Western Swing Hall of Fame for his efforts to preserve and expand the music and its heritage, plays a lively honky tonk piano, and has been known to strum rhythm guitar while singing lead. You bet, the music is infectious. But it is hardly sophisticated in any modern-jazz context. One critic once referred to Tommy's travelling aggregation as a "hillbilly backyard barbecue band" - a description that Thomsen considers an appellation. Anyway, it is certainly true that there is more to a Tommy Thomsen performance than just listening. And, hell, if you find yourself having too much fun there's always room to dance!

Travis T. Hipp - COMSTOCK CHRONICLE
SILVER CITY, NEVADA