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Tommy Bolin in Iowa Hall of Fame
Tommy Bolin along with his brother Johnnie will be inducted this year into the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. Tommy has previously been inducted there in 1999 as a member of A Patch of Blue, one of his early bands, which he joined in Sioux City at the age of 13. Johnnie has been inducted in 2010 (as a member of a band called DVC), in 2012 (as a member of Rockestra of Sioux City), and in 2014 (as a member of Instant Blues Machine). This time both brothers are honoured as individual artists. Tommy has also been inducted in 2016 into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, just up the road from Sioux City.
The induction ceremony and associated festivities will be held in Arnolds Park, IA, on September 1-4, 2022.
Thanks to Jim Collins for the heads up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Better late than never.
I often wonder what Tommy would be playing today if he was still alive. Post-Purple, if he had been in the hands of the right management and kicked his drug habits, I could have envisaged a Peter Frampton-type career for him: he had the looks, the guitar chops, the songwriting skills and a pleasant, immediately recognizable voice.
Darn waste his death was. In memoriam for the man who managed to sound intimate in the Budokan Hall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXyjp-h0OQE
There used to be the respective live footage of this available too, but I assume that rights of the Bolin Estate prevent it from being on youtube anymore.
January 20th, 2022 at 17:41A great talent (as were all DP members). What a shame that he died so young.
January 20th, 2022 at 21:19It’s so sad that a lot of people only know Tommy from his Purple year.
That’s like only knowing Jimmy Page from The Firm.
I do love CTTB, but Bolin’s other work shows him in such a better light, and LCIJ is so freaking rough.
January 23rd, 2022 at 03:46@Jim: LCIJ is rough and Bolin bluffs his way through most of the time, but if you see the live footage then he was in good spirits and made the best of the situation, handicapped as he was. I always thought he pulled it off against all odds, with the rest of the band very supportive.
And I actually treasure that gig for the fact that it had Jon and Paicey have to work harder too. Even a DP with a broken wing could still pull itself to astonishing heights. The renditions of Mark IV original material and of course of Tommy’s own Wild Dogs do not have to hide. To me, the band sounds more enthusiastic on LCIJ than on Made in Europe.
January 24th, 2022 at 13:18Bolin crammed a lot into a short space of time. Apart from CTTB and his solo albums (all of which are top notch) he shone like a beacon on James Gang’s “Miami” and “Bang” as well as Billy Cobham’s “Spectrum”. Also check out his Energy band.
January 25th, 2022 at 10:54Uwe @1 – I think you’re right, “Bolin Comes Live” would have made a great career for TB.
The Live in Long Beach ’76 is a much better representation of Tommy’s skills as a guitarist with Deep Purple. I went to this concert and Tommy was in top form, sadly, his performances fluctuated throughout the tour and on the UK tour as well. Fortunately, LB was a good night for both him and the band.
February 7th, 2022 at 02:51Indeed, his guitar work with Zephyr, James Gang, Deep Purple and Billy Cobham was outstanding. But I also would like to mention his wonderful contributions to Alphonse Mouzon’s ‘Mind Transplant’. Really mindblowing !!! It’s a must for all guitar freaks. Tommy Bolin, what a loss !
February 18th, 2022 at 19:27