Tom Spahn

Tom Spahn
Tom Spahn

Born Thomas G. Spahn
(1955-07-30) July 30, 1955
Park Forest, Illinois, United States
Occupation Musician, Orchestrator, Audio Engineer, Vocal Coach
Years active 1973–present

Thomas G. ("Tom") Spahn (born July 30, 1955) is a three-time Emmy Award winning composer,[1][2][3][4] Synthesizer Programmer for the 1996 Grammy Award nominated album by Earth Kitt,[5] "Back in Business",[6][7] another Emmy Nomination in 2001 for Mastering Dizzy South America Tour, is an American musician [8] born in Park Forest, Illinois and currently residing in New York City. Spahn is a longtime musical director and arranger and has worked with numerous musicians and composers on a myriad projects, performances and recordings.

Early life and education

Tom Spahn was born July 30, 1955 and raised in Park Forest, Illinois. 1954 his parents, Bob and Vickie Spahn started the Park Forest Conservatory[9][10] with Chicago professional musicians like Linus Carroll,[11] Art Hodes[12] and Bill Tinkler teaching music. In high school Jay Hoel,[13][14] Cecil Gorey and Watt Jones[15] promoted his music projects, a rock band, productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell. Graduating from High School he was given a full scholarship to Southern Illinois University to play piano with the Big Band and then subsequently toured the country for two years with the Wright Brothers Show Band.[16] With them he started on the Mellotron[17] and rose to pianist-Musical Director, through his many years of experience he has added the titles orchestrator, vocal coach, composer, producer and audio engineer.[18]

Career

Arriving in New York City in 1975, he began his creative path by playing Blues Piano with Pearl Murray[19] at 96th and 2nd. There he met Ramona Brooks[20] and guided her through her first album produced by Manhattan Records, Neil Portnow and Charles Koppelman.[21] with the Single "Skinnydippin".[22] In 1976, he started his artistic partnership with the legendary performer, Miss Eartha Kitt when he became her primary arranger and musical director for the next nine years. He then met and began a long mentorship and friendship with the deeply respected Broadway orchestrator and vocal coach, Mr. Colin Romoff,[23][24][25] who, among his many achievements, taught Gypsy to Merman and Sound of Music to Mary Martin, and rehearsed Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to President John F. Kennedy.

In addition to his work with Miss Kitt,[26][27][28][29] he became the musical director and arranger for the famous cabaret act, Gotham.[30][31] Historically, this was the first fully outed gay male trio that boasted of being “Equal Opportunity Employers” by introducing Tom as their heterosexual pianist - Gotham specialized in the great standards of the 30”s and 40’s. A real top hat and cane team with an outrageous spin on staying alive in the ferocious world of the AIDS epidemic. To this day, the inner circle of the NY cabaret scene will lift their hats to Gotham.

In 1980 Tom produced Big Bird - Getting Ready for School for Sesame Records at the famous Nola Recording Studios with John Post engineering. in 1985 Jim Czak & John Post invited Tom to operate Studio B at Nola Recording Studios, developing the MIDI studio as MIDI was starting with the Yamaha DX7 and the Kurzweil 250 Keyboards.

Over the years his relationship with Sesame Workshop, then Children’s Television Workshop, grew and he is very proud to have been a part of that family for the decades as an integral part of their musical department working with Joe Raposo, Dave Connor and recording vocal performances for the show at Media Sound and then Nola Recording. Since 1996 Tom has worked on many of their toy franchise products starting with Tickle Me Elmo. In the Sesame Workshop Recording Studios, he brings an expertise in all digital recording standards and master of high quality audio through low resolution chips.

Like most people in the entertainment industry, he is a multi-tasker. While doing all the above he has composed and arranged original underscoring for continuing dramas like the Emmy Award winning daytime serial, ABC’s All My Children and Guiding Light for Judy Rybak Supervising Producer.[32]

Currently, he continues his work at Sesame Workshop, and has several projects in development, City of Light that he wrote with Beverly Ross, Hot Ice - with Michael Pace and Francesca James and works with Ray Kennedy (VP of Entertainment, USO - New York) arranging updated versions of the American classic and patriotic repertoire for the 60+ member USO Show Troupe[33] that tour all over the world to support our service men and women in the military.

Discography

I'm Confused Therefore, I Am - Cynthia Crane - Mastering

Videography

Musicals

Spahn functioned a Musical Director and Orchestrator or Composer on numerous musicals, including the following:

Vocal Coach

Over the years Spahn has been a vocal coach to the following notables

References

  1. ↑ "The Society of Composers & Lyricists". 2005 Emmy Award. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "The National Television Academy" (PDF). Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "The Secrets To Getting The Job You Want in Entertainment Production! with Tom Spahn". Music Industry News Network. Music Industry News Network. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  4. ↑ Pamela McClintock, Lily Oei (March 4, 2004). "Ellen the talk of Emmys". Variety. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "CNN List of Grammy Nominees". CNN. CNN. January 4, 1996. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Eartha, Kitt (November 23, 1994). "Back in Business". AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "CD Universe". CD Universe. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  8. ↑ "New York Magazine, Dec 23, 1991, page 215". Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  9. ↑ http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailyherald/obituary.aspx?pid=166716588
  10. ↑ http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/ref/collection/pfpl/id/57
  11. ↑ http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/ref/collection/pfpl/id/57
  12. ↑ http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/IJS/collections/hodesb.html
  13. ↑ http://www.zoominfo.com/p/W.-Hoel/11175788
  14. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/39470042/
  15. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19710331&id=yfIrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PwYGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2718,10045516&hl=en
  16. ↑ http://www.larrywrightmusic.com/larrywrightmusic/assets/File/LarryWrightResume.pdf
  17. ↑ http://www.mellotron.com
  18. ↑ Tom, Spahn. "Artists Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  19. ↑ http://www.chron.com/news/article/North-Houston-s-Murray-ready-for-stage-two-2112496.php
  20. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/37105-Ramona-Brooks
  21. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Ramona-Brooks-Ramona-Brooks/release/2495300
  22. ↑ http://search.soulyears.com/artist-Ramona%20Brooks.html
  23. ↑ https://www.ibdb.com/Person/View/99290
  24. ↑ http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.php?thread=927207
  25. ↑ http://ctva.biz/US/MusicVariety/AndyWilliamsShow_1962-63.htm
  26. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFmqcf6zhtg
  27. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEy4w4s5a18
  28. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On2RoGXNO5Q
  29. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6uYqmx31kE
  30. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRi6KFzDAEI
  31. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29PZCFMiNl8
  32. ↑ http://stipi.prv.pl/capital-1c/judy-spahn.html
  33. ↑ http://www.usonyc.org/entertainment/uso-show-troupe/
  34. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Ramona-Brooks-Ramona-Brooks/release/2495300
  35. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/2665965-Tom-Spahn
  36. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/2665965-Tom-Spahn
  37. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/2665965-Tom-Spahn
  38. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/2665965-Tom-Spahn
  39. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Jørn-Hoel-Love-Will-Make-You-Do-Things-That-You-Know-Is-Wrong/release/4165179
  40. ↑ http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/Tom+Spahn/a/albums.htm
  41. ↑ http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/Tom+Spahn/a/albums.htm
  42. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/2665965-Tom-Spahn
  43. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/seasoned-woman-mw0000044881
  44. ↑ http://www.qsulis.org.uk/Website_Louise_Gold/Elmo's_Lowdown_Hoedown.htm
  45. ↑ http://jazztimes.com/articles/13784-live-detroit-international-jazz-festival-mike-longo-trio
  46. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-70s-soul-jam-vol-1-mw0000595943/credits
  47. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-70s-soul-jam-vol-2-mw0000028270/credits
  48. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-70s-soul-jam-vol-3-mw0000028967/credits
  49. ↑ GUSSOW, MEL. "STAGE: MUSICAL 'ROAD'". The New York Times. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  50. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRi6KFzDAEI
  51. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29PZCFMiNl8
  52. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/09/19/gotham-history-and-harmony/40662b54-8e2d-4f4f-8ff5-e734b9ee781b/
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