Thom Bresh
Thomas Charles Bresh (born February 23, 1948 – died May 24, 2022 – 74 yo), sometimes spelled Tom Bresh, is an American country music guitarist and singer. Active since the 1970s, Bresh has charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Biography[edit]
Bresh was born on February 23, 1948 in Hollywood, California as the son of country singer Merle Travis. As a child, Bresh began acting in films and recording his own music.[2] He also worked as a movie stuntman at the Corriganville Movie Ranch.
In 1963, he was a member of the rock and roll band The Crescents. It recorded an instrumental track “Pink Dominos” and issued it on a single with “Breakout” on the B-side. The single peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1964.[3]
He then released a 1970 solo single about D. B. Cooper which was withdrawn due to controversy over its subject matter.[4]
Starting in 1972, Bresh recorded for Kapp Records. His first charted single, “Home Made Love”, made number six on the Hot Country Songs charts in 1976.[5] This was included on an album of the same name for Farr Records. Due to the song’s success, Bresh was nominated by the Academy of Country Music as Top New Male Vocalist that year.[4]
Bresh recorded two albums for ABC Records as well: Kicked Back in 1977 and Portrait a year later, both produced by Jimmy Bowen. Cash Box magazine reviewed Kicked Back favorably, saying that Bresh had “[a] perfectly mellow voice and vital tracks with excellent material and interpretation”.[6] Record World magazine published a positive review of Portrait, calling the album “versatile” and noting the variety of musical influences.[7] Included on Portrait was a cover of “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” which featured Bresh performing thirteen different impersonations.[8]
Bresh hosted a weekly television variety show of his own creation, Nashville Swing, was a regular on The Merv Griffin Show and Dinah!,[8] and made a guest appearance on the TNN special A Salute to the Country Greats. As a producer, he has been employed by country legend Jerry Reed, classical guitarist Valerie DuChateau, and Merle Travis. As a videographer, Bresh has shot, produced, and edited projects for Hank Thompson, Lyle Lovett, Brooks & Dunn, George Jones, Tanya Tucker and Jerry Reed.[9]
Discography[edit]
Albums[edit]
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Homemade Love | Farr |
| 1977 | Kicked Back | ABC |
| 1978 | Portrait |
Singles[edit]
| Year | Single | US Country[5] | US AC[10] | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | “Homemade Love” | 6 | — | Homemade Love |
| “Sad Country Love Song” | 17 | 37 | ||
| “Hey Daisy (Where Have All the Good Times Gone)” | 33 | — | ||
| 1977 | “Until I Met You” | 57 | — | Kicked Back |
| “That Old Cold Shoulder” | 48 | — | ||
| 1978 | “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)“ | 78 | — | Portrait |
| “Ways of a Woman in Love” | 74 | — | ||
| “First Encounter of a Close Kind” | 84 | — | singles only | |
| 1982 | “When It Comes to Love” (with Lane Brody) | 77 | — | |
| 1983 | “I’d Love You to Want Me” | — | — | |
| “Somebody Like You” | — | — |
References[edit]
- ^ Family Tree Legends
- ^ “Thom Bresh biography”. AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Top Pop Singles 1955-2012 (14th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-89820-205-2.
- ^ Jump up to:a b “New career stuns stuntman”. The Jackson Sun. June 25, 1976. p. 12. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Whitburn, Joel (2017). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2017. Record Research, Inc. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-89820-229-8.
- ^ “Country Singles Reviews/Album Reviews” (PDF). Cash Box: 48. July 2, 1977.
- ^ “Country album picks” (PDF). Record World: 74. April 29, 1978.
- ^ Jump up to:a b “Tom Brest [sic] visits Huntingburg”. The Herald. June 19, 1978. p. 22. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ Thom Bresh’s official biography[permanent dead link]
- ^ “Adult Contemporary chart results”. Billboard. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Pat Bovenizer Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2016)
- Thom Bresh discography at Discogs
| hide | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| National libraries | |
| Other | |
- 1948 births
- 20th-century American guitarists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- ABC Records artists
- American country guitarists
- American country singer-songwriters
- American male guitarists
- American male singer-songwriters
- Country musicians from California
- Guitarists from California
- Living people
- Singer-songwriters from California
