It has been 33 years ago today that Tommy Bolin left this earth on a Miami hotel room..in some ways it feels like so long ago and in another sense it doesn’t seem that long ago at all.
There is a good chance the newer generations aren’t familiar with Tommy’s work.
Born is Sioux City, Iowa, August 1, 1951, Tommy was influenced by Elvis, the Beach Boys and the Beatles, the many jazz artists such as Django Reinhart, Wes Montgomery and blues artists like Albert King, whom his band Energy backed on many occasions.
Tommy moved to Colorado to find success in the music business, quickly making a name for himself, with his flair for the ability to play so many different styles and crossover seamlessly between them.
The band Zephyr with lead singer Candy Givens, was Tommy’s first successful band, though he yearned to express himself as a musician in a greater role.
Upon the advice of his band mate in Energy, flautist Jeremy Steig, Tommy moved to New York City to seek further development of an already bright career. He met keyboardist Jan Hammer and drummer Billy Cobham and soon was asked to contribute to Billy’s groundbreaking first solo album “Spectrum”.
Though unable to read music, he was encouraged to be the guitarist, replacing a guitarist of the quality of John McLaughlin, whom Cobham and Hammer had just played with and was a huge influence on Tommy.
With the chords written out, Tommy in two days made one of the most astounding contributions to the new genre of jazz-rock fusion, virtually setting the bar so high, it has practically never been surpassed.
Particularly the track “Quadrant Four”, Tommy took what was based on a 12 bar blues, but played up-tempo, at 212, and just ran with it.
His brilliant juxtaposition of Echoplex EP-3 and sustained notes, supplying an excitement and energy of a rock performance, to the playing of these jazz legends, mixing in pentatonic licks, Chuck Berry style double stops, and all the time intertwining with the fluid keyboard dynamics of Jan Hammer.
In fact later on, many couldn’t tell when the guitar or keyboard started or stopped! Tommy ends with some incredible wah pedal techniques.
This particular track got the attention of people like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Joe Walsh and practically every guitarist at the time.
Jeff’s “Blow By Blow” and “Wired”, were directly influenced by Becks own admission, by the spark delivered by this young player from Iowa.
Upon the recommendation of Joe Walsh, Tommy was picked to fill his shoes in The James Gang. in 1973.
Tommy supplied the majority of the material for their first album Bang, in fact Tommy’s head was superimposed on the body of the previous guitarist in the cover photo, which had already been shot!
Tommy stayed with the Gang through 1974, completing one more album for them, the ominously titled Miami complete with its all black cover.
Tommy had started contributing lead vocals by this time and his voice was warm and emotive, adding yet another strong dimension, to the force to be reckoned with, the triple threat, songwriter, vocalist and killer guitarist.
The songs “Alexis” and “Spanish Lover”, were two showcases for Tommy’s new found vocal confidence.
In December 1974 he played on sessions for the drummer of Weather Report drummer Alphonse Mouzon, for the LP “Mind Transplant”, “Golden Rainbows” and “Nitroglycerin” being the two outstanding tracks, with Tommy using his trademark Echoplex fills, with the addition of Tommy’s brilliant slide guitar playing.
During negotiations for Tommy’s first solo project, which would end up being the incomparable “Teaser”, in April 1975, Ritchie Blackmore had left Deep Purple MK III. At the insistence of vocalist David Coverdale, Tommy who lived close by Coverdale, was brought in for an amazing audition, where the seasoned players of Deep Purple, Ian Paice and John Lord, were stunned by Tommy’s energy and endless ideas for songs, right during the rehearsals.
Then it was off to Musicland Studios in Germany for the August recording of the debut album and only album of the MK IV lineup “Come Taste The Band”.
Then Tommy was at Trident studios in London mixing “Teaser”.
The Deep Purple experience started out brilliantly, the first few gigs containing versions of the album tunes, that were in many cases, superior to the recorded versions. As the various legs of the tour developed, the cries for Blackmore and the outright hostility of the DP fans, particularly in the UK, caused Coverdale to resign after the Liverpool show, effectively bringing the sluggish behemoth that Purple had become, down to the ground, with a kill shot.
After the disbanding in the summer of 1976, Tommy started his favorite band according to the liner notes for the different sounding second solo album “Private Eyes”.
Tommy came to Miami three days before his first gig of an exciting tour as support to the Jeff Beck Group, featuring Jan Hammer and Fernando Saunders.
There continues to be much speculation about what happened after the show at the Jai Alai Auditorium on December 3rd, but Tommy had a great show and was on stage with Jeff Beck, probably one of the highlights of Tommy’s life.
Sadly there weren’t many hours left for Tommy to live, I have heard all the versions of those who were there and still the only true fact is that everyone in his band/crew abandoned his body at the motel, leaving the police to find his body in suspicious circumstances.Tommy was only 25 years old.
That Tommy had severe issues with alcohol and laterally drugs, was common knowledge to all those in his circle, yet even with a ‘bodyguard’ appointed by his management, the inevitable happened.
I have recently been re-researching Tommy’s music and career and have been even more acutely aware of the tragedy that need not have happened.
Such a trailblazer, one who played on the musical edge, like his hero Jimi Hendrix, Tommy clearly worked without a net and created music that will live on indefinitely. He had such a great sense of rhythm and melody and a unique style of guitar playing that has not been equaled in my opinion.
God Bless you Tommy, play on brother…
Dave 12/4/09
