Tom Adams (musician)
Tom Adams (born November 17, 1958) is a bluegrass musician born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Featured as a banjo player on recordings made between 1974 and 2006 with The Adams Brothers, The Johnson Mountain Boys, The Lynn Morris Band, Blue Highway, Rhonda Vincent, Dale Ann Bradley, Michael Cleveland and many others, the neurological disorder known as focal hand dystonia has led Tom to continue his career in bluegrass music as a guitar player and vocalist. Adams was also a member of Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys (1983-1985) but Martin was not actively recording during that period.
In the spring of 2008 Tom (on guitar) formed Diamond Joe, a bluegrass band based in south-central Pennsylvania, with Chris Warner (banjo), Mark Seitz (mandolin) and Steve Streett (bass). The group disbanded in July, 2008, when Tom began rehearsals with Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band to replace vocalist and guitarist Wayne Taylor in Emerson's group.
The current band, now known as Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie, consists of Bill Emerson - banjo, Tom Adams - guitar, Teri Chism - bass, Wayne Lanham - mandolin and Lynn Morris - FOH sound engineer. The group began working in the studio in October, 2008, on the band's newest release.
Discography
- Right Hand Man (Rounder Records, 1990)
- Rounder Banjo Extravaganza "Live", with Tony Trischka and Tony Furtado (Rounder Records, 1992)
- Adams County Banjo (Rounder Records, 2001)
- Live at the Ragged Edge, with Michael Cleveland (Rounder Records, 2004)
Awards
- IBMA Album of the Year - 1990 (At the Old Schoolhouse, The Johnson Mountain Boys)
- IBMA Banjo Player of the Year - 1992
- IBMA Banjo Player of the Year - 1993
- IBMA Entertainer of the Year - 2001 (with Rhonda Vincent & the Rage)
- IBMA Banjo Player of the Year - 2002
- IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year - 2004 (Live at the Ragged Edge, with Michael Cleveland)
- IBMA Best Liner Notes - 2006 (Let 'Er Go Boys, Michael Cleveland)
- IBMA Recorded Event of the Year - 2007 (Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular)