Description
Tom Irwin, a sixth-generation Sangamon County resident from rural Pleasant Plains, sings original songs accompanied on guitar and harmonica about his life and where he's lived it with occasional cover songs from the traditional folk and Americana genre. During his nearly forty-year career in making music, Irwin has received the only Downtown Springfield (IL) Music Legend award, opened for Willie Nelson & Family at the 2001 Illinois State Fair and been voted by readers of Illinois Times as "Best of Springfield" in numerous music categories including Folk Band, Male Musician, Male Vocalist and Songwriter. He has independently released 12 full-length albums receiving national recognition in radio airplay and media interviews. A 2018 collaboration with playwright John W. Arden created Sangamon Songs: A Musical Play, a theatrical folk music show that debuted in 2019 with some 20 shows presented since in Illinois at various locations. Programs Irwin presents include: Performing early country & folk music while discussing the times and artists: Sangamon Songs, either as solo presentation or through talking about the creative side of developing the songs within context: Performing songs with stories about his rural upbringing on the family farm where he resides today near Springfield.
Work Sample
This is a show I performed in Greenville IL in 2019 for a songwriters showcase. It's about 45 mins and is representative of.a regular show that entails playing my original songs with stories and banter in between.
I focused on my solo work, since that's most likely what I will be doing here reflecting what I've been doing in the last 5 years. I started in hard rock in mid-70s, developed a "new wave" style band that was popular in the Midwest in early-mid 80s, then began my career as a more troubadour type for the last 35 years from late 80s on to now. I find it interesting that songs from different style periods overlap and evolve into my current work.
History
I've performed as a singer-songwriter for nearly 40 years based out Central Illinois, independently recording 12 full length albums, while supporting myself mostly as a working musician, solo and with bands. From opening for Willie Nelson and Family at the Illinois State Fair grandstand in 2001 to playing everything from bars, clubs, schools, libraries, weddings funerals, etc. I have been able to experience a good deal from this side of the stage and plan to continues as long as I am able.
Artistic Vision
Relating to the varied aspects of the human condition through songs gives me a wide and enveloping palette to work from and I try to go from humorous to serious, heartbreaking to heartwarming to wherever this music and muse takes me. I believe in lifting up the spirit through song, in using emotion to drive art and allowing time to take its place in making some sense of it all.
Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise
I do a lot of older classic country and the audiences in senior centers and homes really appreciate hearing that style and a enjoy performing them very much as I grew up on those tunes. I've also taught college level classes as an adjunct at University of Illinois Springfield from 2010-14, plus performed in front of so many different audiences through the years, I feel very comfortable talking to a crowd, classroom or audience doing any program.
Traditional Folk/Ethnic Artform Statement
I do a good deal of Irish/Celtic/English folk songs and that is my direct ancestral heritage, but I don't consider myself a traditional folk artist as I would some artists I know. I do use traditional folk style song forms to write about people and places in my community based on growing up on a family farm in rural Pleasant Plains and through that relate to my contemporaries using folk idioms.
Name
Tom Irwin
Type
Individual Artist
Address
6656 West State Route 97
Pleasant Plains, IL 62677
Artistic Director
Tom Irwin
[email protected]
217-725-6179
Contact Person
Tom Irwin
[email protected]
217-725-6179
Web Site
Artistic Discipline(s)
Music
- Folk/Traditional
- Roots/Americana
- Tribute
Theater
- Solo
Geographic Availability
Central Illinois
Chicago/Chicagoland
Northern Illinois
Southern Illinois
Western Illinois
Fee Ranges
$200-800
Additional Services
Demonstrations
Lectures
Residencies
Workshops
Core Audience(s)
Adult
Children
Seniors
Youth