Happy Home - Music

After Fifteen Years As The Leader And Electrifying Violinist Of The Sundogs Fiddlercomposer Tom Rigney Steps Out On His Own With A Hot New Band Flambeau. The Repertoire Is Original Eclectic Passionate And Filled With A Musical And Emotional Intensity That Will Come As No Surprise To Followers Of Rigney’s Career.

Tom Rigney Has Been A Part Of The San Francisco Bay Area Roots Music Scene For Over Twenty-Five Years. The Son Of Baseball Great Bill Rigney Tom Is A Native Of The Bay Area. His Musical Career Began After He Finished His Graduate Studies At Harvard University Where He Received A Masters Degree In Fine Arts.

Tom First Rose To Prominence In The Music Scene As The Leaderfiddler Of The Legendary BluegrassWestern Swing Band Back In The Saddle. He Won A Bammie Award In 1981 For The Band’s Debut Recording. He Also Wrote Their Hit Song “Time And Again” Which Rode The Country Music Charts In The Bay Area For Many Weeks No Small Achievement For An Independent Release.

After The Demise Of Back In The Saddle Tom Joined Queen Ida’s Bon Temps Zydeco Band And Toured The World With The Queen In 1983 And 1984. It Was At This Time That He Developed A Love Of South Louisiana Dance Music Cajun Zydeco And New Orleans Second Line Grooves. These Styles Formed A Major Ingredient In The Sound Of His Next Band The Sundogs. Teaming With Songwriter Joe Paquin And Slide Guitarist T.J. Politzer Tom And The Sundogs Performed And Recorded Together For Fifteen Years. They Released Seven CD’s And Even An LP! Including Two On The Rounder Label. Their Last Recording “Dancing Room Only” Spent Eight Weeks On The Americana Radio Charts Nationally. They Toured Extensively Across The U.S. Canada And Europe Performing At Numerous Major Festivals And Concerts And At More Dances And Nightclubs Than Anyone Cares To Remember. Their Sound Was A Scorching Blend Of Cajun Blues And Roots Rock And Roll--Original Americana Music That Struck A Nerve With Audiences All Over The Globe.

And Now With The Broadening And Deepening Of His Composing Skills And The Refinement Of His Virtuoso Technique On The Violin Tom Rigney Steps Out As The Focal Point Of The New Band And As The Creator Of All Its Music. The Strong Cajunzydeco Influence Is Still Present As Are The Irresistible Dance Grooves That Have Been His Specialty For Twenty Years. But There Is Also A Deepening Of The Emotional Range Of His Music And A Concentration On Creating Moving And Memorable Melodies In A Wide Range Of Styles--He Has Literally Become A “singer” On The Violin. The Music Bursts With The Energy Of The Bayou One Minute Turns Passionate With A Gypsy Tune The Next It Can Raise The Roof With A Celtic Reel And Then Touch The Heart With A Beautiful Waltz It Can Drive Deep Into The Heart Of The Blues Or Evoke Echoes Of Eastern Europe Or The Coast Of Spain.

In 1998 Tom Released The Critically-Acclaimed “Chasing The Devil” On The Parhelion Label. In 1999 With His New Band Flambeau He Released “Red Boots And Rice”. The Year 2000 Saw The Long-Awaited Re-Release Of His First Solo Album “Rigo”. In May 2002 Tom Released "Metamorphosis" An All-Instrumental Disc Featuring Ten New Compositions As Well As Tom's Memorable Arrangement Of Kate Wolf's Haunting "Brother Warrior". "Metamorphosis" Is Tom's Most Ambitious And Stylistically Diverse CD Yet. And In July 2003 The New Flambeau CD "Happy To Be Here" Hit The Street. Unquestionably The Party Album Of The Summer "Happy To Be Here" Is Filled With Infectious Grooves Hot Playing From All The Members Of Flambeau And A Level Of Energy And Intensity Only Surpassed By Their Live Show. . User-Contributed Text Is Available Under The Creative Commons By-SA License Additional Terms May Apply. read less