Tompall Glaser | |
|---|---|
 Glaser in 1977 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Thomas Paul Glaser |
| Born | (1933-09-03)September 3, 1933 Spalding, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | August 12, 2013(2013-08-12) (aged 79) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1950–2013 |
| Labels | MGM/Curb, ABC, RCA Victor Dot/MCA,Bear Family, Clint Miller |
| Formerly of | Tompall & the Glaser Brothers |
Thomas Paul "Tompall"Glaser (September 3, 1933 – August 12, 2013) was an Americancountry singer who was a key figure in the 1970soutlaw country movement.[2]
Glaser was born inSpalding, Nebraska, the son of Alice Harriet Marie (née Davis) and Louis Nicholas Glaser.[3][4] He was raised on a farm along with his brothersJim and Chuck. Growing up, Glaser and his brothers performed music in local venues and radio stations.[5]
In the 1950s he recorded as a solo artist. He and his brothers later formed a trio,Tompall & the Glaser Brothers.[3] In 1957 they performed onArthur Godfrey's television show.[5] They also shared the bill withPatsy Cline atThe Mint casino in Las Vegas November-December 1962.
Glaser's highest-charting solo single wasShel Silverstein's "Put Another Log on the Fire,” which peaked atBillboard Hot Country Singles’ (nowHot Country Songs) No. 21 in 1975. He and his brothers also reached number 2 on the country charts withLovin' Her Was Easier (than Anything I'll Ever Do Again).[6]
Tompall co-produced Waylon Jennings's influential 1973 albumHonky Tonk Heroes, one of outlaw country’s first albums.[6]Honky Tonk Heroes has been called a "milestone album in the breaking of the Nashville studio/recording system, a true watershed event in the music business."[6]
Tompall appeared withWillie Nelson,Waylon Jennings, andJessi Colter on the 1976 albumWanted! The Outlaws, the first country album to be certifiedplatinum.[2]
In the 1970s his Nashville recording studio,Glaser Sound Studios, dubbed "Hillbilly Central," was considered the nerve center of the nascentoutlaw country movement.[2] Glaser ran the studio with his brothers and gave musicians control over what they recorded instead of their producers, unlike other Nashville studios of the time.[2] Among the groundbreaking albums recorded at his studio wereJohn Hartford'sAereo-Plain andWaylon Jennings'Dreaming My Dreams.[5]
Glaser and his brothers also ran a music publishing company that allowed songwriters to retain ownership and control of their material, which was also unusual for the time period.[2]
Glaser died on August 12, 2013, inNashville, Tennessee, at the age of 79, after a long illness.[7]
| Year | Album | US Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Charlie | — |
| 1974 | Take the Singer with the Song | — |
| 1975 | Tompall (Sings the Songs of Shel Silverstein) | — |
| 1976 | The Great Tompall and His Outlaw Band | 13 |
| 1977 | Tompall Glaser & His Outlaw Band | 38 |
| The Wonder of It All | — | |
| 1986 | Nights on the Borderline | — |
| 1987 | A Collection Of Love Ballads From World War Two | — |
| 1992 | The Rogue | — |
| The Outlaw | — | |
| 2001 | The Best of Tompall Glaser & the Glaser Brothers | — |
| 2006 | My Notorious Youth | — |
| 2007 | Outlaw to the Cross | — |
| Year | Single | Chart Positions[8] | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Bubbling | CAN Country | |||
| 1973 | "Bad, Bad, Bad Cowboy" | 77 | — | — | Charlie |
| 1974 | "Texas Law Sez" | 96 | — | — | Take the Singer with the Song |
| "Musical Chairs" | 63 | — | — | Tompall (Sings the Songs of Shel Silverstein) | |
| 1975 | "Put Another Log on the Fire (The Male Chauvinist National Anthem)"(credited to Tompall) | 21 | 3 | 34 | |
| 1976 | "T for Texas"(credited to Tompall and His Outlaw Band) | 36 | — | — | Wanted! The Outlaws |
| 1977 | "It'll Be Her" | 45 | — | — | Tompall Glaser & and His Outlaw Band |
| "It Never Crossed My Mind" | 91 | — | — | The Wonder of It All | |
| 1978 | "Drinking Them Beers" | 79 | — | — | |
