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Profile Information

Occupation:: Musician

About Me:: Electric bassist who's performed with a long list of who's who in Nashville and beyond. I'm a studio/live performance bass player who's ready and available for some work.

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Tommy MacDonald was born & raised in the small town of Barnegat, on the Jersey Shore. At age 6 his mother had him in weekly piano lessons until he was 9 years old. By the age of 10, Tommy had picked up the guitar and started teaching himself how to play chords & taught himself songs he heard on the radio. By the time he was in high school, Tommy was very proficient enough on the guitar to start playing and singing in bands with his friends from high school. In 12th grade Tommy was asked to play bass guitar for a band performing in the high school variety show. He was vaguely familiar with the bass guitar but learned the instrument quickly and soon began playing bass and performing in local clubs in the area.

In 1979 Tommy headed to Boston MA to study at Berklee College of Music. He continued to play bass, making that his major instrument while at college. After graduating from Berklee in 1983, Tommy began working locally in the Boston/New England area with Top 40 bands. After 2 years of playing the club circuit, he was hired to back up many legendary 50’s & 60’s pop acts that came through the area. Tommy spent the next 5 years performing live with so many of these legendary acts including Bo Diddley, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Chiffons, The Drifters, and Kate Taylor, the sister of James Taylor. Tommy was also a part of the popular Boston band “T.H. & the Wreckage”. TH & the Wreckage wrote, recorded & performed all of their own material and garnered 6 Boston Music Awards between 1989 and 1995. The band accumulated many hours of radio play on all of the major New England rock stations like WBCN-Boston, WGIR-Manchester, NH & WMVY on Martha’s Vineyard. They played every major venue and club in the northeast.

In 1996, Tommy moved to Nashville TN to further his career as a musician. Without having many contacts or much money, he quickly landed jobs playing at clubs on Lower Broadway in downtown Nashville, including the legendary Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge & The Bluebird Café. Within 6 months of moving to town, Tommy was hired to tour with country star David Lee Murphy, who was on top of the charts with his songs “Dust On The Bottle” & “Party Crowd”. Also during this time, Tommy was getting his feet wet with recording in many of Nashville’s top studios. He played on countless demos and several albums, including tracks for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Tim McGraw’s demo for his hit “Green Grass”, and the recent debut indie album “CYCLONE” by 12 year old guitar prodigy Quinn Sullivan. Tommy also played on several Major Label Albums including “I’m A Bluesman” by Johnny Winter, the soon-to-be-released LoCash Cowboys debut CD & the Grammy® winning Album ‘Living Proof’ by Legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy.

Along with multiple recording sessions, Tommy still performs and tours. He has performed on the legendary stage of the Grand Old Opry, and has toured with country artists Lee Roy Parnell & Jimmy Wayne. He has shared the stage with Billy Ray Cyrus & Miley Cyrus, Michael McDonald, Big & Rich, John Waite, Sebastian Bach, Johnny Winter, Carley Simon, Danny Gokey, Zac Brown and many many others. Tommy currently works with famed singer/songwriter Jeffrey Steele (hit songwriter for Rascal Flatts & many other Nashville artists). In 2011 he will join Jimmy Wayne once again on tour. In 15 years since moving to Nashville, Tommy has carved out a successful music career.

Website:: http://tommymacbass.wordpress.com/

Number of years working in Nashville area:: 15

Number of years in the music business:: 30+

Credits & Gear

Credits include touring with Jeffrey Steele, Johnny Winter, Tom Hambridge, David Lee Murphy, Jimmy Wayne, Lee Roy Parnell and many others. I have many credits on recording sessions for the last 20 years, including several major label releases. Hear me on Buddy Guy's latest Grammy-winning album 'Living Proof'.

Current musical intruments and equipment include Fender Jazz bass guitars (both 4 or 5 string). Avalon U5 for both live and studio gigs, a multitude of different amps for different situations. List of gear includes Trace Elliot AH600 Head & 1015 Bass Cabinet, GK 800RB & 400RB amp heads, Peavey T-Max head, one 4x10 Peavey bass cab & one 1x15 Peavey bass cab. Smaller club shows: GK 1001RB 2-10 combo amp.

I have 30+ years of playing experience. I also play acoustic guitar & sing b/u vox if necessary. For my complete bio, check out my WEBSITE ... thanks!