Country Music Recording Artist

I am a country singer and authentic country boy who cherishes being a God-fearing, church-going family man and making people happy with old school country singing.

For independent country music recording artist Tommy Wood, the seeds of music were planted in rich, melodious soil. Musical notes took root and grew, when even as a little boy, he held on to his mom's stereo cabinet and relentlessly listened to her Conway Twitty recordings and Loretta Lynn albums.

Tommy acknowledges that he simply couldn't get close enough to the music, even at that tender young age. The words of the music seeped into his heart and ears, and even his mother recounts the story on how he literally cut his teeth on country music. Lucille Wood retells how her tiny tyke reached up and sunk his teeth into the wooden piece of furniture, even after her attempts to pull him away from the stereo!

A heartfelt, honest-to-goodness love for country music and its roots brought forth a life-force that continues today for this salt of the earth country boy. What is it that makes Tommy a genuine country boy?

Well, when Elizabeth Capps, a lifelong native of St. Louis, Missouri, was asked how she'd describe a dyed-in-the-wool country boy, she thoughtfully spoke what came first to her mind. She said, "Oh, that's simple. A genuine country boy is fun to be around, clean-minded, good-hearted and way too busy with wholesome work for him to be involved in any trouble." She added, after pausing for a split second, "One more thing, he knows that eggs don't come from the grocery store!"

Having never met Tommy, she managed to describe him accurately. Longtime music fans will affirm that Tommy is goodhearted, clean minded, and fun to be around. During each performance, people are immediately drawn in to the jovial mood that fills the air, because Tommy and his band, Nite Shift, love their fans and adore bringing them the kind of richly-toned, quality melodies that country music fans all over the world are craving.

Parents appreciate the heartfelt country ballads that the whole family can listen to. Rest assured that there are no off-color remarks to be heard, either off or on the stage.

Tommy is also known for sticking around, after every performance, until all autographs are signed.

He Picked Up The Torch

His influences passed the torch, bearing the lore of centuries of the heartaches, joy and wisdom of living close to the land written in a nitty-gritty, expressive style of prose and poetry.

"My greatest influences were Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Charlie Pride, Merle Haggard, Mo Bandy, Waylon Jennings and Stonewall Jackson, old-fashioned country singers from yesterday who wrote songs about real-life stories. The ones who paved the way but were pushed away," states Tommy emphatically.

One central thing in the world of music that Tommy is passionate about is getting back to the original roots by picking up the torch. Having seen the past, Tommy looks forward to getting the genuine, traditional country music out to more people who are clamoring for clean, good country songs to inspire them in their everyday lives. He believes there's a huge void that people are yearning to be filled. He sees to it that he's the one to fill it, by staying true to the country sounds of old, regarded as better than the present.

Tommy's old and new country songs appeals to fans on three continents, and counting. Next time you're at a live appearance, look around, or read the comments on the web from around the world, and you'll see that fiercely loyal fans share Tommy's old world, Christian family values of respect, joy and honor. That is one other reason why people love him like they do. From as far as his home country of the United States, Hawaii, to Virginia in the east, from Canada, in the north, to south Texas, people are queueing up. People from across the oceans in places like Strait, France, and Australia are getting on the bandwagon to give Tommy a heads-up.

Tommy is being contacted by owners of radio stations in Sweden, and getting airplay in New South Wales and the Netherlands. People all over the world are being treated to his brand of pure gold country sounds. For over a decade, Tommy and his Nite Shift band members have been offering "music that speaks for itself", as one fan puts it. At 17 years old, as a high school senior, Tommy started with his first paid show. That led to the creation of Crossfire, his first band, where he played the drums.

In 1998, from behind the drums, he transitioned to out front as the featured singer. He has had the pleasure and honor of opening for Tracy Byrd to more than thirty-five hundred fans, Billy Currington, Trace Atkins, Josh Gracin of American Idol, Tracy Lawrence, and other mainstream recording artists. Tommy has released 3 CDs, to date. The first CD, "Nights Are Lonely" is fully sold out. Sadly, it is never to return, due to the master being destroyed by fire.

His CD "Outta California", and self-titled "Tommy Wood" are both available right now. A new CD still to be titled, is due out in 2011.

The Three As of Tommy's Work: Art, Atmosphere and Accomplishment

Creating artistic, beautiful music does not happen by accident. It takes form and shape from a very methodical crafting of melody and lyrics. Tommy compares the process of blending words and songwriting that spring up from his heart, with building a fence that has many angles and curves, something every country boy knows all too well. When a song is ready for the final inspection upon reaching completion, he has a 3-point test it must pass so as to amaze the fans. Like a well-built fence, every word and note must be pig-tight, horse-high, and bull-strong!

Tommy's secret to his art is that he prepares an extraordinary atmosphere not only on the day of every performance, but on the day before as well. Hydration plays a critical part during the day before. Tommy ensures that he gets a lot of good water, so he is fully hydrated before, during and after presenting his audience with first-class music. On the day of an event, Tommy asserts on spending intimate and necessary time alone with his "threesome." That includes himself, his guitar, and God. Then, just before he goes on, Tommy seeks God's assistance in accomplishing something huge: that his music will influence someone's life in a profound way.

Enjoying and employing the benefits of a deeply rich Christian faith, Tommy is living his dream.

Tommy, along life's journey, has uncovered another secret that he uses and employs as his daily life motto. This secret was told to him by The One he acknowledges as his ultimate authority, and can be seen in Luke 9:62. It goes like this: "Keep your hand to the plow and don't look back."

Keeping his hand to the plow in his spiritual life equates to being the strong spiritual leader of his home for his children and wife. Keeping his hand to the plow in the community he lives in includes enjoyable deer hunting with his two daughters, and then giving to an organization called Hunters for the Hungry, which raises funds for meat processing,and gets it to the hungry and the poor. Keeping his hand to the plow for his fans means continuously working on fresh material, bringing them new country songs, either on CD, through live performances, or via his website, Twitter, YouTube, Face Book and the world wide web.

With a life this richly blessed and full, who would want to look back, anyway?

Tommy's life's work and future for his fans and his family encompass the horizon's width that tarries a good way, lingering an endless depth over a great, endless space.

Music, family and faith are settled in the heart and eyes of this loyal troubadour that his most true-hearted and ardent country music fans regard as part balladeer, part minstrel and certified, down-home country singer.

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