Tom Corbett
It was Tom Corbett’s father’s Vega banjo-mandolin that inspired 11-year-old Corbett to start picking on old-time standards and absorbing the sounds of Bill Monroe as well as newgrass mando gods like Sam Bush and David Grisman. Those seminal influences can still be heard in his soulful playing. After relocating from his native Ohio to California, high-profile stints with acclaimed folk-bluegrass festival faves the Acousticats and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, multi-instrumentalist John McEuen’s entertaining String Wizards band earned him accolades and a loyal following. He’s consistently active on L.A.’s acoustic music scene, playing mandolin and guitar with numerous acts onstage, including Robin & Linda Williams. In the studio; he recorded several tracks on Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness’ rootsy solo album Cheating at Solitaire and joined McEuen, Jimmy Ibbotson, singer Jennifer Warnes and Laurie Lewis in the award-winning 2002 DVD Nitty Gritty Surround. More recently he took on one of those only-in-L.A. jobs: teaching TV/film star Tom Selleck how to play ukulele for a role in a play.
After years of earning respect from peers and audiences for playing behind better-known artists, noted mandolinist/guitarist Tom Corbett stepped into the spotlight as bandleader and songwriter with his warmly received 2001 solo album Upstairs at Charlie’s. Since then, while remaining a popular sideman, he’s become a frequent presence as frontman of his own well-regarded trio on the coffeehouse, listening room and house concert circuits. His second album, Cloudless Blue Sky, he’s further establishing himself as one of the most versatile acoustic artists on the West Coast Americana scene. Corbett is currently working on a much anticipated, third album.