Tom Spahn
| Tom Spahn | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Thomas G. Spahn 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, Synthesizer Programmer for the 1996 Grammy Award nominated album by Earth Kitt, "Back in Business", another Emmy Nomination in 2001 for Mastering Dizzy South America Tour, is an American musician 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.
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 with Chicago professional musicians like Linus Carroll,Art Hodes and Bill Tinkler teaching music. In high school Jay Hoel, Cecil Gorey and Watt Jones 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. With them he started on the Mellotron 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.
Arriving in New York City in 1975, he began his creative path by playing Blues Piano with Pearl Murray at 96th and 2nd. There he met Ramona Brooks and guided her through her first album produced by Manhattan Records, Neil Portnow and Charles Koppelman. with the Single "Skinnydippin". 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, 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, he became the musical director and arranger for the famous cabaret act, Gotham. 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.
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