Tom Scholz

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Tom Scholz
TomScholz.JPG
Scholz in 2008
Background information
Birth nameDonald Thomas Scholz
Born (1947-03-10) March 10, 1947 (age 77)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • engineer
  • inventor
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • bass
  • keyboards
  • drums
Years active1969–present
Labels
Member of Boston
Spouse(s)
Kim Hart
​
(m. 2007)​

Donald Thomas Scholz (born March 10, 1947) [1] is an American musician. He is the founder, main songwriter, primary guitarist, keyboardist and only remaining original member of the rock band Boston. He has appeared on every Boston release. Scholz, a multi-instrumentalist, plays guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums.

Contents

Scholz is an MIT-trained engineer who designed and built his own recording studio in an apartment basement in the early 1970s. A fan of rock music throughout his teen years, Scholz began writing songs while earning his master's degree at MIT. [2] The first Boston album was mostly recorded in his basement studio, primarily using devices he invented. After the success of Boston, he founded Scholz Research & Development, Inc. to develop and market his inventions, many under the Rockman brand. Scholz holds several patents related to his work at SR&D over the years. [3]

He was described by AllMusic as an "un-rock n' roll" figure who did not enjoy the limelight of being a performer, preferring to concentrate on music, production, and inventing new electronic equipment. In more recent years, he has dedicated much of his money and time to charitable work. [4]

Early life

Tom Scholz was born in Toledo, Ohio, [1] and raised in the suburb of Ottawa Hills. His father, Don Scholz, was a homebuilder who became wealthy from his designs of prefabricated luxury houses and founded Scholz Design, the forerunner of Scholz Homes Inc. [5] [6]

As a child, Scholz studied classical piano. [7] He also had a penchant for tinkering with everything from go-karts to model airplanes and was always building or designing. [8] A top student and a member of the varsity basketball team, he graduated from Ottawa Hills High School in 1965. [8] Before his musical career, Scholz received both a bachelor's degree (1969) and a master's degree (1970) in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked for Polaroid Corporation as a senior product design engineer.

Career

Scholz had a keen interest in music and began recording demos in his home studio while working at Polaroid. He spent six years unsuccessfully submitting demos to record companies. [9]

Eventually the demos attracted the interest of Epic Records, who signed Scholz and singer Brad Delp to a recording contract. Scholz believed his demos were good enough for release as Boston's debut album, but Epic told Scholz to re-record the demos. Most of the guitar, bass, and keyboards were performed by Scholz, although other players were involved sporadically throughout the recordings, most notably drummer Jim Masdea. Epic did not want the album recorded entirely in Scholz's home as Scholz had intended (the label suggested using a recording studio), but most of what ended up on the album had indeed been recorded by Scholz in his basement. While the album was being completed, Scholz and Delp added three additional local musicians to round out the band, who played little if anything on the record itself: bassist Fran Sheehan, guitarist Barry Goudreau and drummer Sib Hashian.

The album was released in 1976 and became the biggest-selling debut album by any artist up to that time. [10] [11] The single "More Than a Feeling" has become a rock classic. [12] The band also quickly became a popular live act.

Scholz's reputed perfectionism delayed the follow-up album, Don't Look Back , for two years. When it was finally released, he was unhappy with the result, claiming that it was released under pressure from the record company. [13] Scholz then declared he would not release any more music unless he was completely satisfied with the final product. Consequently, Boston's third album, Third Stage , did not appear until 1986. That album was certified 4× platinum, and "Amanda" reached the top of the singles chart. [14] Scholz and Brad Delp were the only members of the original group to appear on the album.

Scholz also started his own line of guitar effects under the name Rockman. Among the many Rockman effects available, one could reproduce the unique "Boston" guitar sound. The boxes were arranged in cabinets and played through an (analog) stereo signal path. The originals have today become collectors' items. [15] [16]

After Brad Delp's suicide in March 2007, his adult children organized a concert in his memory on August 19, 2007, at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston and invited the group to perform. [17] Fran Cosmo was unable to sing because of a vocal injury, so Scholz invited guest singers to appear in his place, including Michael Sweet from Stryper and long time Boston fan Tommy DeCarlo who, after auditioning for Scholz, made a guest appearance on lead vocals. DeCarlo would later become the lead singer for Boston. Early Boston members Barry Goudreau and Fran Sheehan also appeared, joining Scholz on stage for the first time in over 25 years.

Personal life

Scholz married his first wife, Cynthia Hartford, in October 1971, shortly after they both graduated from college. They have a son who followed in his father's footsteps by graduating from MIT and becoming a successful entrepreneur (although he is not also a professional musician).[ citation needed ]

Scholz married Kim Hart in the Florida Keys on January 11, 2007. They live in the Boston area. [18] [8] [19]

Scholz has been a vegetarian for more than 30 years. [20]

In 1987, he established a charitable foundation, the DTS Charitable Foundation, [21] which has a variety of missions: supporting animal protection, providing vegetarian resources, stopping world hunger, creating homeless shelters, food banks, animal rescues and sanctuaries, and advocating for children's rights. [21] [18] [8] The foundation has raised millions of dollars. PETA awarded him their Compassionate Action Award in 2013. [22]

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston (band)</span> American rock band

Boston is an American rock band formed in 1975 by Tom Scholz in Boston, Massachusetts, that experienced significant commercial success during the 1970s and 1980s. The band's core members include multi-instrumentalist, founder and leader Scholz, who played the majority of instruments on the band's 1976 self-titled debut album, and former lead vocalist Brad Delp, among a number of other musicians who varied from album to album.

<i>Boston</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Boston

Boston is the debut studio album by American rock band Boston, released on August 25, 1976, by Epic Records. It was produced by band guitarist Tom Scholz and John Boylan. A multi-instrumentalist and engineer who had been involved in the Boston music scene since the late 1960s, Scholz started to write and record demos in his apartment basement with singer Brad Delp, but received numerous rejections from major record labels. The demo tape fell into the hands of CBS-owned Epic, who signed the band in 1975.

<i>Dont Look Back</i> (Boston album) 1978 studio album by Boston

Don't Look Back is the second studio album by American rock band Boston, released in 1978 by Epic Records. The album reached No. 1 in both the US and Canada, and No. 9 in the UK. The title track helped with the album's success, reaching No. 4 in 1978 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of the band's biggest hits. The album sold over one million copies in the ten days following its release and was certified 7× platinum by the RIAA in the US on April 11, 1996.

<i>Third Stage</i> 1986 studio album by Boston

Third Stage is the third studio album by the American rock band Boston, released on September 26, 1986, on MCA Records. It was recorded at Boston co-founder Tom Scholz's Hideaway Studio over a long, strained, six-year period "between floods and power failures". Scholz and vocalist Brad Delp were the only original members. The lyrics invoke themes of aging and working through stages in life. The first track and lead single, "Amanda", became a number one hit and one of the group's best known songs. The album itself was eventually certified 4× platinum by the RIAA.

<i>Walk On</i> (Boston album) 1994 studio album by Boston

Walk On is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Boston, released on June 7, 1994, by MCA Records. It is the band’s only album to date not to feature vocalist Brad Delp, though he did assist as a songwriter. Vocal duties were handled by Fran Cosmo, making this his first appearance on a Boston album. Delp and Cosmo shared leads during the album's supporting tour and the album’s follow-up Corporate America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">More Than a Feeling</span> 1976 single by Boston

"More Than a Feeling" is a song by the American rock band Boston, released as the lead single and the opening track from the band's 1976 debut album by Epic Records in September 1976, with "Smokin'" as the B-side. Tom Scholz wrote the entire song. The single entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on September 18 and peaked at number five. The track is now a staple of classic rock radio, and in 2008, it was named the 39th-best hard rock song of all time by VH1. It was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" and is ranked number 212 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", updated from its previous position of number 500 on the 2004 version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Delp</span> American rock musician (1951–2007)

Bradley Edward Delp was an American-Canadian musician who was the original lead singer and frontman of the rock band Boston. He joined the band in 1970 and appeared on every album except Walk On (1994) and also participated in every tour prior to his death in 2007. Delp was known for his "unique and soulful singing and the vocal range of his 'golden' voice". ILoveClassicRock.com described Delp's tenor voice as "flawless" and "effortless", and ranked Delp third on its list of the top 10 male classic rock vocalists.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Boston album) 1997 compilation album by Boston

Greatest Hits is the only compilation album by American rock band Boston. Released on June 3, 1997, the album features songs originally released on both the Epic and MCA record labels, as well as three previously unreleased recordings. Tom Scholz, the band's leader, felt that the album's audio quality was not up to his standards, so a remastered version of the album was released in 2009 with a slightly different track listing. Boston embarked on a tour for this album both times it was released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace of Mind (Boston song)</span> 1977 single by Boston

"Peace of Mind" is a song by American rock band Boston, written by Tom Scholz. It was on their 1976 self-titled debut, and was released the next year as the third and final single from the album. It peaked at number 38 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1977, as well as number 33 on the Cash Box Top 100. It received substantial radio airplay, both upon the initial release of the Boston album and subsequently, and has been described as a "rock-radio staple".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreplay/Long Time</span> 1977 single by Boston

"Foreplay/Long Time" is a song by American rock band Boston, written by Tom Scholz. It appears on their 1976 self-titled debut album and is their second single for Epic Records. The song combines an instrumental introduction, "Foreplay", with the main song "Long Time", generally played as one on the radio and listed as one track on the album. "Long Time" peaked at No. 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 the week ending March 5, 1977. It reached the Top 10 in Canada, peaking at No. 9. The standalone "Foreplay" was released as the B-side of Boston's next single "Peace of Mind", which was released in April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Look Back (Boston song)</span> 1978 single by Boston

"Don't Look Back" is a song by American rock band Boston, written by main songwriter, guitarist and bandleader Tom Scholz. It was released as the title track and first single from their second studio album, Don't Look Back (1978). It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the band's biggest hits.

"Smokin'" is a song by American rock band Boston, released from the band's debut album Boston (1976) as the B-side to the band's first single, "More Than a Feeling". "Smokin'" was written by the band leader, guitarist and main songwriter Tom Scholz and lead vocalist Brad Delp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Goudreau</span> American guitarist

Barry Goudreau is an American musician. He was one of two original guitarists for the rock band Boston alongside founder Tom Scholz; both Scholz and Goudreau shared lead and rhythm guitar parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fran Sheehan</span> American rock musician

Fran Sheehan is an American rock musician best known for being the bass player in the original incarnation of the rock band Boston.

Orion the Hunter was a 1980s rock band and offshoot of the popular band Boston. It featured former Boston members Barry Goudreau on guitars and Brad Delp on backing vocals, as well as future Boston lead vocalist Fran Cosmo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sib Hashian</span> American musician

John Thomas "Sib" Hashian was an American musician, best known as a drummer for the rock band Boston.

"Rock & Roll Band" is a song by American rock band Boston written by main songwriter and guitarist Tom Scholz and helped out by lead vocalist Brad Delp. The song appears on the band's 1976 self-titled debut. It is one of many songs Scholz worked on in his basement in 1974 and 1975 before Boston got its record contract, five of which eventually appeared on the Boston album. The "Rock and Roll Band" demo was finished in 1974, along with three of the six. However, Scholz had begun writing the song years earlier, in the early 1970s. The drum parts of this and other early Boston songs were developed by Jim Masdea, but this is the only song on the Boston album on which Masdea plays drums. Scholz plays clavinet and all the guitar parts, including bass guitar, and Brad Delp sings vocals. Boston consistently opened with "Rock and Roll Band" while playing at live concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Man I'll Never Be</span> 1978 single by Boston

"A Man I'll Never Be" is a song written by Tom Scholz, released in 1978 on Boston's second album Don't Look Back. It was also released as a single and reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending five weeks on the chart. It also reached No. 27 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cool the Engines</span> 1986 promotional single by Boston

"Cool the Engines" is a song written by Tom Scholz, Brad Delp and Fran Sheehan that was originally released on Boston's 1986 album Third Stage. In the US it was also released as a 12" promotional single backed with another song from Third Stage, "The Launch," and as the B-side to the third commercially released single from the album, "Can'tcha Say /Still in Love." It reached #4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Billboard also rated it as the #25 Top Rock Track of 1987. It was also included on Boston's 1997 compilation album Greatest Hits.

References

  1. 1 2 McDonald, Chris (February 11, 2013). "Boston (iii)". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2234505. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.
  2. ↑ Spotify. "About: Boston." Artist Biography. See Artist Bio.
  3. ↑ "SR&D Patent Portfolio". rockman.fr. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ Kurutz, Steve. Tom Scholz – Allmusic
  5. ↑ Pakulski, Gary. "They used to live here: Toledo notables' childhood homes" – Toledo Blade – May 21, 2006
  6. ↑ Drozdowski, Ted. "Boston Legal" Archived September 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Boston Magazine , July 2006
  7. ↑ "Tom Scholz Interview – The Band Boston and the Sierra Club". Sierraclub.org. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Official Boston Website". Bandboston.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Story Behind "More Than a Feeling" by Boston". October 31, 2019.
  10. ↑ White, Dave. "10 Great Debut Albums Significant firsts by classic rock artists" . Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  11. ↑ Vladimir Bogdanov; Chris Woodstra; Stephen Thomas Erlewine (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul (3rd ed.). Backbeat Books. p. 132. ISBN   978-0-87930-653-3.
  12. ↑ "'More Than a Feeling': The making of a rock classic". Entertainment Weekly .
  13. ↑ "How Boston Flew So High and Fell So Far". August 25, 2016.
  14. ↑ Billboard listing of all Boston songs which charted from 1976 to 1994. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  15. ↑ "Rockman – Rockmodules – SR&D – Tom Scholz". rockman.fr. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Rockman: the Story". rockman.fr. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  17. ↑ Archived June 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  18. 1 2 "Tom Scholz Honored by FARM | thirdstage.ca | News, Media and More About the band BOSTON". thirdstage.ca. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  19. ↑ "The Band Boston Fan Site – Mr. and Mrs. Tom Scholz were married January 11th 2007 in the Florida Keys". Gonnahitcharide.com. July 22, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  20. ↑ ":: Official BOSTON Website ::". Bandboston.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  21. 1 2 "DTS Charitable Foundation". Dtscf.org. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  22. ↑ "PETA Honors Tom Scholz," The Boston Globe, October 15, 2013.

Further reading

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