Tom Armstrong

Born on 17 March 1965 in Springfield, Illinois, the singer-songwriter now residing in San Francisco, California, emerged during the early years of the new millennium as one of several performers reviving classic honky-tonk traditions on the American circuit. His renditions of late-1950s and early-1960s country styles carry such genuine conviction that they sidestep any hint of imitation. He first picked up the guitar during his early teenage years and performed with rock groups while still in high school. In 1984 he became a member of the Hollowmen, an indie-rock band operating out of Des Moines, Iowa, with whom he recorded two commercially unsuccessful albums by the close of the decade. After a brief period studying at art school, he revived his musical path in the middle of the 1990s by adopting the guise of a traditional honky-tonk performer. His first album, Sings Heart Songs, was captured in 1996 yet remained unreleased until 1999; the self-penned tracks formed an engaging set that might easily pass for an undiscovered session featuring such storied figures as Lefty Frizzell or Ray Price. The artwork on the sleeve closely mirrored that of Price’s own release bearing the same title. Both this debut and its equally captivating successor, Songs That Make The Juke Box Play, earned widespread critical acclaim across independent and major publications alike.