Tom Scholz
Tom Scholz | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Donald Thomas Scholz |
Born | Toledo, Ohio, U.S | March 10, 1947
Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1969–present |
Labels | |
Member of | Boston |
Spouse(s) |
Kim Hart (m. 2007) |
Donald Thomas Scholz (born March 10, 1947)[1] is an American musician and recording engineer. 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.
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
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, 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
After
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
Discography
Studio albums
- Boston (1976)
- Don't Look Back (1978)
- Third Stage (1986)
- Walk On (1994)
- Corporate America (2002)
- Life, Love & Hope (2013)
Compilation albums
- Greatest Hits (1997)
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- ^ Spotify. "About: Boston." Artist Biography. See Artist Bio.
- ^ "SR&D Patent Portfolio". rockman.fr. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- Allmusic
- Toledo Blade– May 21, 2006
- Boston Magazine, July 2006
- ^ "Tom Scholz Interview – The Band Boston and the Sierra Club". Sierraclub.org. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Official Boston Website". Bandboston.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
- ^ "The Story Behind "More Than a Feeling" by Boston". October 31, 2019.
- ^ White, Dave. "10 Great Debut Albums Significant firsts by classic rock artists". Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-87930-653-3.
- ^ "'More Than a Feeling': The making of a rock classic". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ "How Boston Flew So High and Fell So Far". August 25, 2016.
- ^ Billboard listing of all Boston songs which charted from 1976 to 1994. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
- ^ "Rockman – Rockmodules – SR&D – Tom Scholz". rockman.fr. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ "Rockman: the Story". rockman.fr. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ [1] Archived June 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Tom Scholz Honored by FARM | thirdstage.ca | News, Media and More About the band BOSTON". thirdstage.ca. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
- ^ "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.
- ^ ":: Official BOSTON Website ::". Bandboston.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
- ^ a b "DTS Charitable Foundation". Dtscf.org. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
- ^ "PETA Honors Tom Scholz," The Boston Globe, October 15, 2013.
Further reading
- Mettler, Mike. - "30 Minutes with Tom Scholz of Boston". - Sound and Vision Magazine. - November 2006.
- "JUST 10 Questions for Tom Scholz". - Just Cause Magazine. - May 9, 2008.
External links
- Tom Scholz at Boston's official website
- Rockman, by Tom Scholz