Music Style Instrumental Guitar(Folk Fingerstyle, Classical)

Musical Influences Don Ross, Norbert Kraft, Neil Young, Liona Boyd, Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd

Similar Artists Don Ross, Liona Boyd, Richard Gilewitz, Julian Bream, Norbert Kraft

Artist History Tom Stinson began playing the guitar 14 years ago around the age of 14. The first year of Tom's experience on the guitar was completely free form with him sitting in his basement with an old electric guitar of his fathers' that was missing the 1st string. From the beginning Tom was more interested in writing his own music then learning what the popular songs of the day were. After a year of playing without any guidance Tom's parents bought him his own guitar and his father gave him a chord chart. To Tom's amazement he had figured out most of the standard chord fingerings on his own in that first year. Throughout high school he played in a typical high school band where he began writing and recording original music with his friends. Tom started taking classical guitar lessons at the age of 19 so that he could understand better what he was doing with the instrument because up until that point he had been playing purely by instinct. His thirst for the knowledge of music continued to grow and led him to the music program at Acadia University in Wolfville NS where he studied classical guitar and composition under Ken Davidson and Owen Stevens. Being exposed to so many new musical ideas including the music of a local fingerstyle guitarist named Daniel Heikalo began to stir a new interest in him. He started to apply what he was learning about classical guitar to his steel string acoustic and experimenting with altered tunings. Around this same time Tom joined a Celtic folk rock band by the name of Ceilidh's Homet. He was asked to join the band after he filled in for another member of the group in a performance on the Atlantic Satellite Network's Breakfast Television. It was during this period that Tom wrote his first fingerstyle composition “Into The Light”. After three years of intense musical study at Acadia Tom sustained a performance injury. It was a difficult decision to make but Tom decided to leave his studies and returned to his hometown of Fenelon Falls ON where he began to rehabilitate his playing. Tom began taking work as a freelance guitarist and ended up working full time for 1 1/2 years as the lead guitarist for Marc Ekins in a touring country/rock band. While working with Marc, Tom had the opportunity to share the stage with such artists as Prairie Oyster, Bruce Guthro, Farmer’s Daughter and Patricia Conroy to name a few. On a tour to Kelowna BC Tom met his future wife Kim Long. A couple of years later Tom had stopped working for Marc and was sent to Kelowna on business where he was reunited with Kim and they started dating. A couple of months later he decided to move to Kelowna to be with Kim. After Tom moved to Kelowna he started a business teaching guitar and music theory based out of Kelowna Guitar Works. Tom and Kim were married on Sept. 22, 2001 and after this Tom focused on putting together a collection of recordings of his music. He finished his debut solo album “Into the Light” in Feb. 2002. The release of “Into the Light” attracted the attention of SkyZLimit records whom Tom is now working with. Tom currently resides on a horse ranch near Kelowna and works teaching music, doing session work, composing and performing. The greatest influences on Tom have been the music of Neil Young, Roger Waters and Nick Drake as well as Fingerstyle masters Don Ross and Richard Gilewitz. After attending a seminar put on by Richard Gilewitz Tom had the opportunity play for him. Richard Gilewitz then expressed interest in performing a concert with Tom in the future when their schedules would allow it to be organized. Tom has recently performed at the Heartland Music Festival in Kelowna BC which was headlined by The Tragically Hip and Alan Jackson.

Instruments 1997 Larivee L03W(walnut back & sides), 1972 Ramirez Estudio model

Albums Into the Light

Location Kelowna, British Columbia - Canada

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