Tom Bukovac | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | December 20, 1968
Genres | Rock, Country |
Occupations |
|
Instrument | Guitar |
Years active | 1980s–present |
Spouse | |
Website | https://thesessionman.com/ |
Tom Bukovac (born December 20, 1968) is an American session musician and producer. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in nearby Willowick, Ohio. He has been a Nashville-based musician since 1992. [1] He previously owned 2nd Gear, a used music consignment shop in South Nashville. [2]
Bukovac began playing guitar at age eight, and performed his first shows at age thirteen at his widowed mother's bar, The Surfside Lounge, in Eastlake, Ohio. He moved to Nashville in 1992 to pursue a career as a guitarist. [1]
Bukovac has played on over 1200 albums, [1] including projects by Dan Auerbach and The Black Keys, Hermanos Gutierrez, Glen Campbell, Gwen Stefani, Kid Rock, Morgan Wallen, Ann Wilson, The Struts, Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks, Bob Seger, John Oates, Joan Osborne, Vince Gill, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Hank Williams Jr., Sheryl Crow, Don Henley, Carrie Underwood, Richard Marx, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Kenny Loggins, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, LeAnn Rimes, Florida Georgia Line, Lionel Richie, among many others. [3]
Bukovac has toured with Ann Wilson (2022 - Fierce Bliss Tour), Joe Walsh (2017) – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 40th Anniversary Tour [4] ); Vince Gill (2016); John Fogerty; Faith Hill; Trigger Hippy; Wynonna Judd; Tanya Tucker, and others. [5] Bukovac is currently a member of The Jim Irsay band.
Bukovac has also won the Academy Of Country Music guitar player of the year award four times – 2008, 2010, 2016, and 2021.
On May 1st 2024, Tom and fellow Nashville session guitarist extraordinaire Guthrie Trapp released In Stereo, recorded (at least in part) at East Nashville's Cabin Studios. Brandon Bell and Jacob Lowery played bass, and Dorian “Wookie” Crozier played drums, both standard and electronic.
While there are some bits of atmospheric synth, the album—-much like Plexi Soul—-consists of guitar-based instrumentals. The song ‘On The Spectrum’ features Jordan Perlson on drums and Philip Townes contributed Fender Rhodes piano. Tim Lauer played keys on ‘Formant Trajectories’ and Jacob Lowery played bass. Bell again played bass on ‘The Black Cloud’ on which Danny Dougmar contributed keys.
Bell mixed In Stereo and at Tom’s insistence, Nick Govrik did the album’s song sequencing.
In 2021 Bukovac released Plexi Soul, produced by Chris McHugh and recorded and engineered and mixed by Shannon Forrest @ REELRECORDING1
In addition, Bukovac released the Trip The Witch instrumental record in 2021, along with Dean Deleo from STP. The record also includes a track called Saturn We Miss You, with a vocal performance by Jon Anderson of Yes.
In 2014 Bukovac produced Trigger Hippy's self-titled album, which was released by Rounder Records. Featured on this album alongside Bukovac are Joan Osborne, Jackie Greene, Steve Gorman (of Black Crowes) and Nick Govrik. [6]
In 2010 Bukovac married songwriter/artist Sarah Buxton; they have two children. [1]
Bukovac and Buxton decided to end their marriage in 2020.
In March of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bukovac started the YouTube video series Homeskoolin'; the videos were recorded with an iPhone in his garage.
Music Row Magazine Awards [7]
Year | Category | Result |
2005 | Session Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
2006 | Session Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
2007 | Session Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
2008 | Session Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
2009 | Session Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
Academy of Country Music Awards [8]
Year | Category | Result |
2004 | Guitar Player of the Year | Nominee |
2005 | Top Guitar Player of the Year | Nominee |
2006 | Guitar Player of the Year | Nominee |
2007 | Top Guitarist of the Year | Nominee |
2008 | Top Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
2010 | Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
2012 | Guitarist of the Year | Nominee |
2014 | Guitar Player of the Year | Nominee |
2016 | Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
2021 | Guitarist of the Year | Winner |
Joan Elizabeth Osborne is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best known for her recording of the Eric Bazilian-penned song "One of Us" from her debut album, Relish (1995). Both the single and the album became worldwide hits and garnered a combined seven Grammy Award nominations. Osborne has toured with Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers and was featured in the documentary film about them, Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002).
Vincent Grant Gill is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He began in a number of local bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention as lead singer of the soft rock band Pure Prairie League. Gill sang lead on their hit single "Let Me Love You Tonight" in addition to writing several songs of theirs. After leaving Pure Prairie League, Gill briefly played guitar in Rodney Crowell's backing band the Cherry Bombs before beginning a solo career in country music in 1984. Gill recorded for RCA Records Nashville from then until 1988 with minimal success. A year later he signed with MCA Nashville, and he has recorded for this label ever since.
Leftover Salmon is an American jam band from Boulder, Colorado, formed in 1989. The band's music is a blend of bluegrass, rock, country, and Cajun/Zydeco. Over their thirty years as a band, Salmon has released seven studio albums and three live albums. The band celebrated their continuing thirty-year career with the release of the biographical book, Leftover Salmon: Thirty Years of Festival! and a vinyl box-set re-release of all of their studio albums.
Audley Freed is a guitarist from Burgaw, North Carolina.
Sarah Jane Buxton is an American country music singer formerly signed to the independent Lyric Street Records. Between 2006 and 2008, she issued three singles from an extended play titled Almost My Record, in addition to co-writing her song "Stupid Boy", which was later recorded by Keith Urban. She released her self-titled debut album in early 2010, led off by the Top 25 single "Outside My Window," shortly before Lyric Street Records closed.
These Days is the eleventh studio album and the first box set by American country music artist Vince Gill. Consisting of 43 original songs spanning four discs, the album displays the range of Gill’s lyrical and musical styles, ranging from traditional country and bluegrass to jazz and rock. The album was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and won Best Country Album. In 2012, the album was number 10 on People Magazine's "Top 10 Best Albums of the Century ". It is also ranked #9 on Country Universe's "The 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade."
"Stupid Boy" is a song written by Dave Berg, Deanna Bryant, and Sarah Buxton. Originally recorded by Buxton, the song was later recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban on his 2006 album Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing. Urban's version was released as that album's second single in December 2006 and peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. A year after its release, Urban won a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance of the song.
Hillbilly Deluxe is the ninth studio album by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn, released in 2005 on Arista Nashville. Certified Platinum in the United States by the RIAA, the album produced four singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The duo produced the majority of the album with Tony Brown.
The Time Jumpers is the name of a Western swing band formed in 1998 by a group of Nashville studio musicians who enjoyed jamming together. Country star Vince Gill was a member of the group between 2010 and 2020. The 11–member group started playing occasional local gigs until they agreed to take a regular slot playing at the Station Inn, a venerable Nashville bluegrass venue. They later moved to a larger venue, Nashville's "3rd & Lindsley", and were called by Tennessean writer Juli Thanki, "One of the hottest shows in town". Some of their guest artists on the weekly live show have included Joe Walsh, Robert Plant, Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt, Reba McEntire, Jimmy Buffett, Kings of Leon, and Toby Keith. Amy Grant said, "You can't hear that caliber of musicians every Monday night for a cover charge in any town in America except here". The group rarely travels, but in 2010 they performed at New York's Lincoln Center. In 2007, they recorded a live album entitled Jumpin' Time and in 2012 recorded The Time Jumpers. At the 2017 Grammy Awards the group won "Best American Roots Song" for Vince Gill's composition "Kid Sister".
Emory Lee Gordy Jr. is an American musician, songwriter and music producer. A former member of Emmylou Harris' backing band The Hot Band, he is best known for his association with country singer Patty Loveless, to whom he has been married since 1989. Gordy has produced and played bass guitar on nearly all of her albums, in addition to producing albums by Steve Earle, George Jones, and Alabama.
The Christmas Collection is a Christmas compilation album released by American pop and Christian singer Amy Grant in 2008.
Water & Bridges is the twenty-sixth studio album by American country music singer Kenny Rogers. It was released on March 21, 2006 via Capitol Records Nashville. The album have three singles: "I Can't Unlove You," "The Last Ten Years (Superman)" and "Calling Me," all of which charted on Hot Country Songs and peaked at number 17, 56, and 53 respectively.
Trigger Hippy is an American rock band composed of former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, bassist Nick Govrik, guitarist/singer Ed Jurdi, and singer Amber Woodhouse.
Guitar Slinger is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released on October 25, 2011 via MCA Nashville. A deluxe edition was also released with three bonus tracks.
John Barlow Jarvis is an American songwriter, composer, session pianist and recording artist. Before moving to Lake Tahoe in 2014, he had lived in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1982.
Rubberband is the debut album by American country music artist Charlie Worsham. It was released on August 20, 2013 via Warner Bros. Records. Worsham co-wrote all eleven tracks and co-produced the album with Ryan Tyndell. Vince Gill and Marty Stuart appear on the song "Tools of the Trade".
Down to My Last Bad Habit is the fourteenth studio album by American country music singer Vince Gill. The album was released on February 12, 2016, by MCA Nashville.
Michael Rhodes was an American bass player, known for his session work and touring in support of other artists, and his collaborations in bands and ensembles.
Okie is the fifteenth studio album by American country music singer Vince Gill. The album was released on August 23, 2019, by MCA Nashville.
Jeff White is an American bluegrass guitarist/mandolinist, songwriter, record producer and sound mixer. Jeff White has performed and produced albums with many artists including: Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, The Chieftains, Lyle Lovett, Tim O'Brien, The Travelin' McCourys, Michael Cleveland and The Earls Of Leicester. White won the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, for Best Bluegrass Album with The Earls of Leicester. One of Jeff's key mentors is award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland. Jeff and Michael have earned four International Bluegrass Music Awards for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year. Jeff produced several of Michael Cleveland's albums. Jeff has toured with banjo picking Earl Scruggs and Louise Scruggs. Jeff White has produced and released three solo albums: in 1996 The White Album, in 1999 The Broken Road and in 2016 Right Beside You.