Tom Bliss

A first appearance at Tenterden for Tom Bliss

The guest list for the 15^th Tenterden Folk Festival includes a mix of guests new to the festival and return visits by previous guests and regular participants. One the guests appearing for the first time is Tom Bliss

Tom was born in Guildford and started writing songs at a very early age. His family still sing 'We Belong To A Butterfly-Catching Army,' which he wrote at just 3 years old! He occasionally still sings songs he wrote at school. On leaving school he began playing folk clubs around Surrey and London and made his first solo radio broadcasts in New Zealand in 1973. In 1977, while at Leeds Poly, he heard Ian Dury for the first time and immediately forsook his acoustic guitar for a plexiglas Les Paul and eye make-up. His first band played punk, but combos of many styles followed and the big time beckoned, but when the other three members all missed a key recording session, the band, and the big time contract, dissolved.

Tom then spent many years developing his song writing and forming bands, and experimenting with various styles, including folk. Also throughout this time Tom was working in television, first as a scriptwriter, then as a director and doing much of his own production, camerawork and even editing. This power allowed him to appoint any composer he chose so he often chose himself. Over the years he wrote and produced many pieces for broadcast, corporate, film, museum, installation and sell-through programmes. Like all true folkies Tom finally returned to his folk roots in the mid 1990s after a chance meeting at Yorkshire TV and becoming a founder member of a new folk band which convinced Tom that traditionally based folk music was what he should have been doing all along. Some time later Tom got together with Tom Napper and they set off to introduce his songs to the nation. Tom will bring some of his songs to Tenterden on Saturday 6^th October.

You can find out more about Tom Bliss from his website www.napperbliss.co.uk

Other guests appearing at Tenterden Folk Festival for the first time will include;

Jim Bainbridge from Scotland

Duck Soup from the Brighton area

The Holdstocks from the USA

Hengest and Horsa a group of young folk musicians from Thanet

Kausary with traditional music from the Andes and Latin-American

Steve Turner from the north of England

Details of the Festival, guests, accommodation and camping are now being released and also posted on our website at www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk.

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Last updated 13^th May 2007