Tom Breiding
Encyclopedia
Tom Breiding is a musician
originally from Wheeling, West Virginia
who now resides in McMurray, Pennsylvania
. He is a popular draw in the Pittsburgh area music scene. His musical styles range from country music
to heartland rock
. His 2001 release American Son was a benefit for the United Steelworkers
union's "Stand Up for Steel" campaign.
publishing company, and has released seven of his own albums since 1991. Tom has carved a niche as a chronicler of small town America. His songs are poignant and affecting, and he delivers them with total conviction. In Hard Rain, with Bill Toms and the rest of the Houserocker family, Breiding is emerging as one Pittsburgh's more colorful guitar players as well. His weekly solo performances in Pittsburgh's Strip District, his role as Bill Toms' sideman, and his original projects with his band American Son are testimony to the perseverance and commitment that Breiding has long dedicated to his work.
and Johnny Paycheck
to that of Freedy Johnston
and Allison Moorer
. His extensive experience as a performer includes several sold out shows broadcast to national radio audiences at Jamboree USA in West Virginia
, performances in the round and featured writer nights at the famed Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and yearly performances at the beautiful Oglebay Park
Amphitheater in Wheeling. Tom has appeared on countless television and radio programs and continues to perform regularly in clubs and at festivals throughout the Pittsburgh region. Tom became full time guitarist
in Bill Toms' band, Hard Rain, in 2002.
and Ronnie Milsap
. This exclusive publishing deal brought Breiding the opportunity to collaborate and form lasting relationships with several hit writers, artists, and publishers while developing his own craft. The resulting catalog of material was purchased by Acuff Rose/Opryland Music in November 1999, and later by Sony/ATV in 2002.
His most recent (2007) release is The Unbroken Circle, songs about West Virginia
coal miners.
chose a Tom Breiding ballad, "A Picture of Him", to be included on his Best of the 'Burgh CD.
Tom co-wrote a song and played guitar on all the tracks on Bill Toms and Hard Rain's The West End Kid released in October 2005.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
originally from Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
who now resides in McMurray, Pennsylvania
McMurray, Pennsylvania
McMurray is a community in Peters Township, Washington County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The U.S. Census Bureau defined the community as a census-designated place , though it has no legal status as a separately incorporated municipality. The population was 4,726 at the 2000 census...
. He is a popular draw in the Pittsburgh area music scene. His musical styles range from country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
to heartland rock
Heartland rock
Heartland rock is a genre of rock music that developed in the 1970s and reached its commercial peak in the 1980s, when it became one of the best-selling genres in the United States. It was characterized by a straightforward musical style, a concern with the average, blue collar American life, and a...
. His 2001 release American Son was a benefit for the United Steelworkers
United Steelworkers
The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union is the largest industrial labor union in North America, with 705,000 members. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, U.S., the United Steelworkers represents workers in the United...
union's "Stand Up for Steel" campaign.
Biography
Tom Breiding has been honing his singing, guitar playing and songwriting talents since the early 1980s, from his hometown of Wheeling W.Va., to his current residence in Pittsburgh, and points in between. One of Western Pennsylvania's most diverse, prolific, and longest-serving entertainers, he's played in working bands for twenty-five years continuously, served on the staff of a major NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
publishing company, and has released seven of his own albums since 1991. Tom has carved a niche as a chronicler of small town America. His songs are poignant and affecting, and he delivers them with total conviction. In Hard Rain, with Bill Toms and the rest of the Houserocker family, Breiding is emerging as one Pittsburgh's more colorful guitar players as well. His weekly solo performances in Pittsburgh's Strip District, his role as Bill Toms' sideman, and his original projects with his band American Son are testimony to the perseverance and commitment that Breiding has long dedicated to his work.
Performances
Voted Pittsburgh's Best Acoustic Performer of 2000 at citysearch.com, Tom was asked to fill more opening spots than any other artist at Rosebud, once one of Pittsburgh's premier live venues. His diverse original material found favor with audiences of Hal KetchumHal Ketchum
Hal Michael Ketchum is an American country music artist. He has released ten studio albums since 1986, including nine for the Curb and Asylum-Curb labels. Ketchum's 1991 album Past the Point of Rescue is his most commercially successful, having been certified gold by the Recording Industry...
and Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck was the legal name of Donald Eugene Lytle , a country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member most famous for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It"...
to that of Freedy Johnston
Freedy Johnston
Freedy Johnston is a New York City-based singer-songwriter originally from Kinsley, Kansas.Having scored several minor hits since the early 1990s, Johnston's songs are often about troubled loners, and cover topics like heartbreak, alienation and disappointment...
and Allison Moorer
Allison Moorer
Allison Moorer is an American alternative country singer and the younger sister of Shelby Lynne. She signed to MCA Nashville in 1998 and made her debut on the U.S...
. His extensive experience as a performer includes several sold out shows broadcast to national radio audiences at Jamboree USA in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, performances in the round and featured writer nights at the famed Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and yearly performances at the beautiful Oglebay Park
Oglebay Park
Oglebay Park is a self supporting public municipal park, the only one of its kind, located on the outskirts of Wheeling, West Virginia on . The park has been open to the public since 1928 when the park's governing body, the Wheeling Park Commission, began operations at the former estate of Earl W....
Amphitheater in Wheeling. Tom has appeared on countless television and radio programs and continues to perform regularly in clubs and at festivals throughout the Pittsburgh region. Tom became full time guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
in Bill Toms' band, Hard Rain, in 2002.
Songwriter
Breiding was a staff writer for Tom Collins at Collins Music Corporation, on Nashville's storied Music Row in 1991. At that time, Tom Collins, a former CMA Producer of the Year, was the largest independent publisher in Country Music and had been responsible for launching the careers of Barbara MandrellBarbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
and Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country’s most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s...
. This exclusive publishing deal brought Breiding the opportunity to collaborate and form lasting relationships with several hit writers, artists, and publishers while developing his own craft. The resulting catalog of material was purchased by Acuff Rose/Opryland Music in November 1999, and later by Sony/ATV in 2002.
Recordings
Tom has released several albums beginning with his 1992 release Railroad Town. Tom recorded his first self produced album, Time to Roll at the new AmeriSon Studio. Recorded entirely with American Son, it is the first "band" record to carry the Tom Breiding name.His most recent (2007) release is The Unbroken Circle, songs about West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
coal miners.
Collaborations
In 2001, Joe GrusheckyIron City Houserockers
The Iron City Houserockers were an American rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, led by singer/guitarist Joe Grushecky, that existed from 1976 until 1984...
chose a Tom Breiding ballad, "A Picture of Him", to be included on his Best of the 'Burgh CD.
Tom co-wrote a song and played guitar on all the tracks on Bill Toms and Hard Rain's The West End Kid released in October 2005.
Discography
- Railroad Town (1992)
- The Next Heartache (1997)
- Guitar and Pen (1998)
- Happy Hour in the Round Hotel (2000)
- American Son (2001)
- Two Tone Chevrolet (2004)
- Guitar and Pen Volume II (2005)
- Time to Roll (2006)
- The Unbroken Circle (2007)