Tom Rozum
Encyclopedia
Tom Rozum is a Northern California-based American
bluegrass
mandolin
ist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis
.
, mandola
, and guitar player. Rozum has been part of the staff of Bluegrass at the Beach, a music camp held in August on the Oregon Coast led by Laurie Lewis, since 1992.
A long-time fixture on the Bay Area music scene, Rozum is best known for "The Oak and the Laurel," his 1996 Grammy-nominated album of duets with Laurie Lewis. Rozum has also released a solo album "Jubilee" wherein he covers little-known country music by Merle Haggard
, The Louvin Brothers and Bill Monroe
interwoven with contemporary songs by David Olney
and Mark Simos, among others.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
ist and singer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with partner Laurie Lewis
Laurie Lewis
Laurie Lewis , is an American bluegrass musician.- History :Lewis fell in love with American folk music as a teenager, at the sunset of the 1960s folk revival. She says of the Berkeley Folk Festivals where she first caught the folk bug:"Oh, it was so exciting...
.
Music career
Originally from New England, Rozum moved to Berkeley from Arizona, where he played many kinds of traditional and original music with Summerdog and Flying South; and San Diego with the Rhythm Rascals. In 1986, he joined forces with Laurie Lewis as part of the original Grant Street Band. He plays primarily mandolin, but is also an accomplished fiddleFiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, mandola
Mandola
The mandola or tenor mandola is a fretted, stringed musical instrument. It is to the mandolin what the viola is to the violin: the four double courses of strings tuned in fifths to the same pitches as the viola , a fifth lower than a mandolin...
, and guitar player. Rozum has been part of the staff of Bluegrass at the Beach, a music camp held in August on the Oregon Coast led by Laurie Lewis, since 1992.
A long-time fixture on the Bay Area music scene, Rozum is best known for "The Oak and the Laurel," his 1996 Grammy-nominated album of duets with Laurie Lewis. Rozum has also released a solo album "Jubilee" wherein he covers little-known country music by Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, The Louvin Brothers and Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
interwoven with contemporary songs by David Olney
David Olney
David Charles Olney is an American folk singer/songwriter. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but did not graduate, instead joining Bland Simpson's band Simpson in the early 1970s...
and Mark Simos, among others.