Tom & Emily (7-9 pm) Call 540-456-8020 for more info. Location: 9519 Critzers Shop Road (Rt. 151) in Afton.
Born in Baltimore, Tom Proutt began studying music at an early age. His focus in college was classical guitar. In his early 20s, he moved to Charlottesville and began playing music around town. Since that time, he has played with many musicians in the area. He spent concentrated time learning old time music, and has played in folk, jazz and country groups. For many years, he was known primarily for his bluegrass guitar work. Fellow musicians regard him as a joy to play with, not only because of his versatility and proficiency on the guitar, but also because of his generosity and his sense of humor.
An Alabama native and the youngest of four, Emily Gary was greatly influenced at a young age by her brothers’ love of music. Frequently spinning on her close-and-play record player were John Prine, Joni Mitchell and Warren Zevon. A music major in college, she studied piano and organ. Her first experiences performing outside of a choral setting were with longtime friend, Annette Carpenter, in Atlanta in the early 1990s. In 1997, she added harmony to Annette’s CD, Here On In. Since then she has continued to sing harmony vocals for other projects–Mary Gordon Hall, Lisa Roberson and Songsharing–as well as pursue her music with Tom.
Tom & Emily first worked together in the spring of 2003 for the recording of Tom’s second CD, Farm Jazz. Emily appears on two cuts, “Killer Sally” and “Road To Appomattox.” They first performed together in October 2003 and this collaboration inspired them to continue working as a duo. It was at this point that Emily encouraged Tom to open his volumes of original compositions. He had been respected for years as an excellent guitar player, but had not showcased his own material. He agreed and thus, the duo was born.
Since their inception, Tom & Emily have headlined their own shows as well as opened shows for Richard Shindell, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Catie Curtis and John & Mary, formerly of 10,000 Maniacs. Their first CD, Pancake Mamma, was recorded at Greenwood Studio with the help of Jeff Romano. It contains 12 of Tom’s original compositions and one co-written with Emily. Tom acquired a 1958 J-45 Gibson to add to his collection and Emily picked up an Explorer bass. Both instruments are featured heavily on the CD. Tom has received much praise for his songwriting and has begun to co-lead songwriting workshops locally. Pancake Mamma is a wonderful representation of their musicianship, passion and humor.
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