Tom Rapp
Encyclopedia
Thomas Dale Rapp is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the leader of Pearls Before Swine, the psychedelic
folk rock
group of the 1960s and 1970s. More recently he has practiced as a lawyer.
, where at the age of six he was given a guitar. A neighbour taught Rapp some chords, and he also learned to play the ukulele. He once came third in a talent contest in Rochester
where a certain Bobby Zimmerman
from Hibbing was fifth. "The winner was a cute little girl in a red sequined costume who twirled a baton."
The Rapp family moved from Minnesota to Pennsylvania before settling in Melbourne, Florida
in 1963. There, Tom Rapp formed Pearls Before Swine with three high school friends in 1965. They recorded first for the ESP-Disk label, and then for Reprise
.
By the time of the third Pearls Before Swine album in 1969, the other original members of the group had left, but Rapp retained the group name for recordings - at this time, Pearls Before Swine did not exist as a performing band. The next three Pearls Before Swine albums, The Use of Ashes
(1970), City of Gold (1971), and Beautiful Lies You Could Live In
(1971), contain some of Rapp's best songs, and were recorded with his Dutch
wife Elisabeth and top session musicians in Nashville
and New York
. The album Familiar Songs (1972) was his first credited solo album, but was in fact a collection of demo recordings released by the record company without his knowledge. After moving from Reprise to Blue Thumb Records
, he released two further albums under his own name, Stardancer
(1972) and Sunforest (1973). Although these were issued as solo albums, they included recordings by a new version of Pearls Before Swine which did tour and perform widely, as well as containing solo recordings with session musicians.
Rapp retired from music in the mid-1970s and, after graduating from Brandeis University
in 1981 and the University of Pennsylvania Law School
in 1984, became a successful civil rights lawyer. After being contacted by the magazine Ptolemaic Terrascope
, he re-appeared in 1997 at Terrastock
, a music festival
in Providence, Rhode Island
, with his son's band, Shy Camp, and began recording again with 1999's A Journal of the Plague Year
. He also performed at Terrastock 5 in October 2002 and Terrastock 6 in April 2006. He currently lives in Florida.
On August 26 and 27, 2008, WBBH-TV News and The Florida Bar website reported that Rapp and another attorney sued in Federal court to reverse their termination as county government lawyers. Thus, at 61, he became an age-discrimination client as well as a civil rights attorney.
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
group of the 1960s and 1970s. More recently he has practiced as a lawyer.
Life
Tom Rapp's parents were both teachers. As a young child his family moved to MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where at the age of six he was given a guitar. A neighbour taught Rapp some chords, and he also learned to play the ukulele. He once came third in a talent contest in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
where a certain Bobby Zimmerman
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
from Hibbing was fifth. "The winner was a cute little girl in a red sequined costume who twirled a baton."
The Rapp family moved from Minnesota to Pennsylvania before settling in Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
in 1963. There, Tom Rapp formed Pearls Before Swine with three high school friends in 1965. They recorded first for the ESP-Disk label, and then for Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
.
By the time of the third Pearls Before Swine album in 1969, the other original members of the group had left, but Rapp retained the group name for recordings - at this time, Pearls Before Swine did not exist as a performing band. The next three Pearls Before Swine albums, The Use of Ashes
The Use of Ashes
The Use Of Ashes was the fourth album made by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and the second on Reprise Records after their move from ESP-Disk....
(1970), City of Gold (1971), and Beautiful Lies You Could Live In
Beautiful Lies You Could Live In
... Beautiful Lies You Could Live In was the sixth album credited to American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and their fourth on Reprise Records. It was released in 1971....
(1971), contain some of Rapp's best songs, and were recorded with his Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
wife Elisabeth and top session musicians in Nashville
Nashville, 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...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The album Familiar Songs (1972) was his first credited solo album, but was in fact a collection of demo recordings released by the record company without his knowledge. After moving from Reprise to Blue Thumb Records
Blue Thumb Records
Blue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow, along with former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Krasnow had been in the record business for a number of years, working as a promotion man for King Records and also working for Buddah/Kama Sutra...
, he released two further albums under his own name, Stardancer
Stardancer
Stardancer was the second solo album credited to American singer-songwriter Tom Rapp, the leader of folk-rock group Pearls Before Swine, and his first for Blue Thumb Records...
(1972) and Sunforest (1973). Although these were issued as solo albums, they included recordings by a new version of Pearls Before Swine which did tour and perform widely, as well as containing solo recordings with session musicians.
Rapp retired from music in the mid-1970s and, after graduating from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in 1981 and the University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...
in 1984, became a successful civil rights lawyer. After being contacted by the magazine Ptolemaic Terrascope
Ptolemaic Terrascope
Ptolemaic Terrascope is a magazine covering old and new music, usually of a psychedelic nature. It has been published irregularly since 1989...
, he re-appeared in 1997 at Terrastock
Terrastock
Terrastock is a music festival organised periodically by Phil McMullen, formerly editor of the Ptolemaic Terrascope and since 2005 the publisher of the Terrascope Online website. The event typically features independent bands playing psychedelic rock....
, a music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, with his son's band, Shy Camp, and began recording again with 1999's A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year (album)
A Journal of the Plague Year was an album released on CD in 1999 by American singer-songwriter Tom Rapp, leader of the 1960s/70s psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine...
. He also performed at Terrastock 5 in October 2002 and Terrastock 6 in April 2006. He currently lives in Florida.
On August 26 and 27, 2008, WBBH-TV News and The Florida Bar website reported that Rapp and another attorney sued in Federal court to reverse their termination as county government lawyers. Thus, at 61, he became an age-discrimination client as well as a civil rights attorney.
Solo albums
- Familiar Songs (1972, Reprise)
- Stardancer (1972, Blue Thumb)
- Sunforest (1973, Blue Thumb)
- A Journal Of The Plague YearA Journal of the Plague Year (album)A Journal of the Plague Year was an album released on CD in 1999 by American singer-songwriter Tom Rapp, leader of the 1960s/70s psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine...
(1999, Woronzow)