 Tom has been playing bluegrass music since 1957.
He has been a leading member of several bands including the duo ‘Tom
& Smiley’. In 1968 the duo recorded the very successful album ‘The
Bluegrass Sound of Tom & Smiley’. In 1978 Tom founded the
‘TT Bluegrass Pickers Parlour’ at a local social club in Stockport.
By 1982 he had formed a Bluegrass band called ‘The Spring Garden String
Band’ which eventually became the ‘Tom
Tra.vis Bluegrass
Band’. In 1997 Tom became Chairman of the BBMA until he decided not
to stand for re-election in 2003, faced with a Motion of Censure.
Tom had been attending and performing at the Edale Bluegrass Festival
(The UK’s first, founded by Steve Read) since it’s early days and
in 1987 became the organiser until 1998, when Bev Williams took over.
After thirty years-plus involvement with Bluegrass Music, Tom’s
enthusiasm remains undiminished. Along with Anne, his wife of over 30
years, he continued to organise Edale, Europe’s oldest and largest
Bluegrass Festival until its demise in 1998. He plays and MC’s
at clubs and festivals around the country and has recently written and presented
the series Bluegrass Ramble on BBC Radio2.
Tom is known mainly as a tenor lead-singer. Presently he does not
‘have’ a band and often plays solo. He can, however, call upon
many fine instrumentalists to accompany him when the need arises.
Updated 2nd March 2000
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