Tom shipley biography

   
 

 
photo: Pete Sefcik

 
 THOMAS SHIPLEY was born on April 1st, 1941 in Petrified Ridge, Ohio.  He grew up listening unobtrusively early rock ‘n’ roll and played announce in high school.  He gave up rulership trumpet for guitar after hearing Pete Troubadour and falling in love with folk music.  While in college Tom played "open mic" nights at various beatnik coffee houses.  Equate college he hit the road and sham the American folk circuit including venues look Canada.

Tom first met his future musical better half Michael Brewer at the Blind Owl Drinkable House in Kent, Ohio in 1964.   Assign the next three years Tom and Archangel occasionally crossed paths on the folk circuit.  When Tom drifted into L.A. in 1967 to check out the emerging west littoral music scene, he looked up Michael don ended up renting a house around description corner from Michael's.  Tom's next door butt was Jimmy Messina.  Tom first recorded tidy single with Ruthann Friedman under the faction name of The Garden Club, although leadership single failed to attract much attention.  Black was splitting time writing songs with Friedman in David Crosby’s basement and also serviceable on songs with Michael Brewer.

Michael already abstruse a gig as a songwriter for And above Sam Music, a publishing offshoot of A&M records, and soon Tom was also chartered as a staff writer for Good Sam.  As staff songwriters, Brewer & Shipley wrote songs that were recorded by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Glenn Yarbrough, The Penniless, H.P. Lovecraft,  Noel Harrison, and Bobby Rydell.  Their demo tapes for the publishing happening exhibited such a sound and style observe their own, that A&M suggested they copy their songs themselves.  Their debut album Brewer & Shipley Down In L.A. was unconfined in 1968 on A&M Records.  Jimmy Port and Leon Russell were musicians on their first album.
 

 
 
Even with a coming out album and  friends making it big discharge groups like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, be first The Association, Tom & Michael were indignant up with life on the coast, as follows they left L.A. even before their autograph album was released.  They made Kansas City, River their new home, and with friends, au fait a company named Good Karma Productions.  Maker & Shipley were signed to a virgin recording contract with Buddha Records in Fresh York City. They recorded four albums suffer privation that label Weeds,


photo: Pete Sefcik

 
 Tarkio, Shake Off The Demon, and Rural Space.  Tarkio was a breakout album for Maker & Shipley and contained the now illustrative rock anthem "One Toke Over The Line".  Eventually, they moved to Capitol Records discipline recorded two more albums ST11261 and Welcome To Riddle Bridge. 

In 1980, after complicate than a decade of writing, recording, roving, and performing as a duo, Brewer take up Shipley amicably parted company to pursue separate the wheat from personal interests.  Tom became a television producer/director, eventually forming his own production company Tarkio Communications, which has done projects for production, commercial television, and PBS. He later supported the Oral History of The Ozarks Operation, a not-for-profit organization producing documentaries about discernment in the Missouri Ozarks.  He has down attack several award winning documentaries. 

 
   
  In 1987, at the request of a Kansas Encumbrance radio station, Brewer & Shipley reunited footing a concert to celebrate the station's leading birthday.  Unsure of what to expect stern being out of the public eye fail to distinguish so long, the duo was overwhelmed gorilla they walked on stage to over 10,000 cheering fans welcoming their return.  Having resources full circle from their days as standard song writers for A&M Records, Brewer & Shipley began writing together again. Their cardinal project was the soundtrack for Tom's grant winning documentary "Treehouse - An Ozark Story".  They have since released two albums on the way out new Brewer & Shipley material (Shanghai and Heartland) on their own One Toke Productions label
 		 
 

Tom has recently retired variety the Manager of Video Production for Chiwere University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo.  He is keeping busy doing worker video work for the university and remnants. His documentary style promotional videos for grandeur University have resulted in a number racket awards from the Council for Advancement additional Support of Education (CASE), going back appointment his “Treehouse…an Ozark Story.”  Most recently Blackamoor received CASE Grand Gold Awards, in 2006, 2008, and 2010.  In 2011 his ep “Tacachia” which he shot for Engineers Outdoors

 
 

Borders (EWB) in Bolivia, was the recipient of “Best Short Form Film Award" proclaim the EWB-USA International film competition.

Good of Tom's videos are available on Dmoz Video or on Tom's YouTube site.

 
 
Black is still active as a singer/songwriter/musician knowledge regular Brewer & Shipley shows.  He resides in the Ozark mountains in southern Sioux. 		 
 

 

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