Anyone who has seen Tommy Rando perform already knows what the rest of the world is about to discover. Tommy's songs are strong and individual; however, the first thing that captures your attention is the unique tone of his voice which has a warm and husky texture. Even his soulful whisper conveys power, conviction and grace - all the cuts and bruises of a life fully lived. When he lets rip, we see his emotion creep in like an approaching storm.
Rando, an Australian singer-songwriter, was helped along by a scholarship grant to the National Guitar Summer Workshop held in Connecticut, New York.
It was there that Tommy was guided to seek out the ingredients that shaped his artistic style. Following his time in New York, Tommy toured the US for BMI hooking up with industry greats such as Jeff Cohen, Seymore Stein and ex-manager to Elton John, John Reid.
Back at home, Tommy has played with Australia's best including: "Taxiride", "Boomcrash Opera" and "Invertigo". He has written songs for Vanessa Amorosi, Lee Harding, Alan Fletcher and Kirsty Crawford to name just a few. With a growing catalogue, Tommy has his tunes playing regularly on the television show "Neighbours" as well as co-writing the number one ARIA hit "Wasabi" for Australian Idol's Lee Harding.
Early inspiration came from artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Steve Ray Vaughan, The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Elton John, Cats Stevens, Joni Mitchell, John Hiatt, Miles Davis, Radiohead, The Dave Matthews Band, soul, blues and gospel singers. Tommy explains: "The importance of music is to portray yourself as honestly as possible and to touch the soul..." "...let the words and emotions tell the story...we are story-tellers."
There is no doubt that anyone in the audience of one of Tommy's shows will see a brilliant singer/songwriter who truly wears his heart on his sleeve. His ageless songs are executed with vision and clarity and delivered with heart-felt reflection and passion.