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Tommy Shaw is an American guitarist and singer. Tommy Shaw is a rock guitarist who played with Styx, Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades. He even pursued a solo career.
Birth data
Tommy Shaw was born on September 11, 1953 in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. He is 69 years and is under the astrological sign of Virgo. He has American nationality and his full name is Tommy Roland Shaw.
His father’s name is Dalton Earl Shaw and his mother’s name is Mildred Uline Shaw. He also has three brothers and is the youngest of them. Likewise, Tommy’s father was a pipe fitter, while his mother was a nurse.
Apart from this, there is no information available about his relatives and family life.
Education
Regarding Tommy’s educational background and qualifications, he attended Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery. He then spent his high school years playing with a group, Jabbo Stokes and the Jive Rockets.
And, after graduating high school, he left Montgomery and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when he was 19 years old.
Subtitle: Tommy with his brother (Source: Instagram)
Tommy Shaw – Marital Status
Tommy Shaw married Cuppy Smith in 1975 when he was 21 years old in Michigan. However, they divorced in April 1980. And then, between late 1979 and mid-1981, he was in a relationship with actress Linda Blair.
He also once dated and shared an apartment in Chicago with news anchor Joan Esposito in 1984.
He then married his second wife, actress Pamela Donnelly, on February 15, 1986. They also have a daughter together named Hannah. Unfortunately, their marriage did not last either and they divorced on December 22, 1993.
Shaw married his current wife, Jeanne Mason, on December 28, 2000. As of now, he is still with his wife, Jeanne Mason.
Caption: Tommy with his wife, Jeanne Mason (Source: Celebsgraphy)
Career and professional life
Tommy Shaw joined The Smoke Ring and then MSFunk, a Chicago-run outfit he played with for three years after graduating high school. This gave him the opportunity to catch the attention of Styx during a two-week club gig in Chicago.
Likewise, after MSFunk disbanded, he returned to Montgomery to join a local group, “Harvest”, with his childhood friends.
Following Styx’s move to A&M, guitarist and vocalist John Curulewski suddenly left the band, so Tommy Shaw received the call to audition for Styx in Chicago. That’s how he became a member of the band “Styx.”
Likewise, his first album with Styx, “Crystal Ball” was his composition and also includes his songs “Mademoiselle” and “Shooz”. And then its follow-up, “The Grand Illusion,” became the group’s breakthrough album.
The band’s eighth album, “Pieces of Eight”, was the breakout album for Tommy’s songwriting talent.
Their rock-oriented contributions, “Renegade” and “Blue Collar Man,” were the only major hits from this release, peaking at No. 16 and No. 21 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. In addition, he was the writer and singer of the three singles taken from the album.
More about career
Finally, in the 1980s, the decade began with the band riding a wave of commercial success with the number one pop ballad “Babe” from their Cornerstone album.
However, tension increased within the band when Shaw and other band members preferred the rock direction of the songs written by Shaw and guitarist James Young. They expressed discontent with DeYoung’s desire to take the band in a pop radio direction.
After some conflict, DeYoung was briefly fired from the group in early 1980, but he was quickly rehired and conflict would arise again. However, Tommy’s dissatisfaction continued to grow as DeYoung took more and more control of the band and its musical direction.
Furthermore, she was able to release three solo albums in the 1980s and they are Girls with Guns, What If, and Ambition.
Tommy Shaw along with Ted Nugent, Jack Blades) and drummer Michael Cartellone formed the band Damn Yankees in the early 1990s. Shaw co-wrote their biggest hit, “High Enough” and the band had a strong concert following.
He then returned to a reunited Styx in 1995 and embarked on a subsequent tour with them in 1996. Shaw then recorded a fourth solo album in 1998. He also worked with many other artists.
Caption: Tommy with his band member (Source: Instagram)
Albums, songs and more
In the year 1995, Tommy again teamed up with Jack Blades in a duo, “Shaw Blades” and released an album, “Hallucination”. The duo also recorded many other songs.
Additionally, he currently leads Styx alongside James “JY” Young, the only remaining member from Styx’s heyday. After reforming in 1996, the band was able to release the live album “Return to Paradise”.
Additionally, on New Year’s Eve 2007, Tommy made a special appearance with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Birmingham, Alabama, where they were able to perform songs such as “Blue Collar Man” and “Renegade,” as well as TSO originals.
In June 2018, along with his guitarist and musical director Will Evankovich they released a live acoustic album with CYO while Styx played with them in 2006.
Additionally, Tommy was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame on February 22, 2008, at the awards banquet held in Shaw’s hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, at the new Montgomery Convention Center.
Tommy Shaw – Social Networks
Tommy is active on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. He owns his Instagram account under the name “Tommy Shaw” and has 16,000 followers. Likewise, his Twitter account is under the name “Tommyshawpage1” and has 527 followers so far.
Body measurements
All of Tommy’s body measurements are still under review and are not available as of now. Additionally, Shaw has blonde hair and blue eyes.
Tommy Shaw – Net worth 2023
According to celebrity net worth, Tommy has a net worth of $18 million and his main source of income must be his career as a musician. He definitely has many other sources of income as well.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn