Tom Scholz
Encyclopedia
Donald Thomas "Tom" Scholz (born March 10, 1947) is an American
rock
musician
, songwriter
, guitarist
, pianist
, inventor, and mechanical engineer, best known as the founder of the hard rock
band Boston
. He is also the inventor of the Rockman
guitar
amplifier
. As noted by Allmusic, he is 'a notoriously "un-rock n' roll" figure who never enjoyed the limelight of being a performer' but instead concentrated almost exclusively on his music. After achieving commercial success with Boston
, Scholz has spent much of his time working with charities
.
and raised in the suburb
of Ottawa Hills
. His father, Don Scholz, was a homebuilder who garnered considerable wealth from his designs of prefabricated luxury houses and founded Scholz Homes Inc.
His mother Olive was valedictorian
of her class then became an architectural designer and a landscape architect.
As a child, Scholz studied classical piano. He also had a penchant for tinkering with everything from go-carts to model airplanes and was always building or designing. A top student and a member of the varsity basketball team, he graduated from Ottawa Hills High School in 1965. Prior to 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. Scholz would then reside in Boston
.
who signed Scholz to a recording contract. Scholz believed his demos were good enough to be the released album
but Epic told him to rerecord them. Most of the guitar, bass, and keyboards were performed by Scholz, although other players were involved sporadically throughout the recording of the album. Epic did not want the album recorded entirely in Scholz's home as Scholz intended (they suggested using a recording studio) but most of what ended up on the album
was ultimately recorded by Scholz in his basement. The album was released in 1976 and became the biggest selling debut album by any artist up to that time. Scholz's reputed perfectionism delayed the followup for two years - he was unhappy with Don't Look Back and claimed it was released under pressure from the record company. Scholz declared he would not be forced to release any more music unless he was completely satisfied with the final product. Boston's third album Third Stage consequently did not appear until 1986 but was another success, featuring the chart topping single "Amanda". Only Scholz and original Boston vocalist Brad Delp
remained from the original group on the third album.
Scholz also started his own line of guitar effects under the name Rockman
. These were supposed to sound like the "true Boston" sound. The boxes were arranged in cabinets and played through a stereo signal (analog) path. The originals have today become collectors' items.
After the death of Delp in March 2007, Boston held a concert in his memory on August 19, 2007 at the Bank of America
Pavilion in the group's home city. Fran Cosmo
was unable to sing due to a vocal injury, so Tom invited guest singers including Michael Sweet
from Stryper
and long time Boston fan Tommy DeCarlo
who after auditioning live in front of Tom made a guest appearance on lead vocals.
for 31 years. He set up his own charitable foundation
, the DTS Charitable Foundation in 1987 to help support such causes as animal protection, providing vegetarian resources, stopping world hunger
, creating homeless shelter
s, food bank
s, as well as animal rescues
and sanctuaries
, and advocating for children's rights
. Through his work with his foundation, he has raised millions of dollars. Scholz married his second wife, Kim Hart, in the Florida Keys
on January 11, 2007. They live in the Boston area.
From his first marriage, Scholz has one son, Jeremy, who graduated from MIT in 2005 with a degree in mechanical engineering
. When asked if his son likes his music, Scholz joked, "I think he does... but he's such a nice kid that he would pretend he did even if he didn't."
Scholz has remarked on the relationship with Boston's various record labels that "The [music] business would be a good thing, except that it's dominated by drug addicts and businessmen". In regard to the theme of his album Corporate America
, Scholz told the Sierra Club
that "The thing that made me decide to break with previous albums and include an overtly political song, was when I discovered that for the first time in American history big business owns the news media". He also stated that "The public has been sold a bill of goods about the free market
being a panacea
for mankind. Turning corporations loose and letting the profit motive run amok is not a prescription for a more livable world".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, inventor, and mechanical engineer, best known as the founder of the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Boston
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
. He is also the inventor of the Rockman
Rockman (amplifier)
The Rockman is a headphone guitar amplifier. The original Rockman was developed and built by Scholz Research & Development, Inc., a company founded by Tom Scholz, who is also the founder and a key member of the rock band Boston. Scholz Research & Development was sold to Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc....
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
. As noted by Allmusic, he is 'a notoriously "un-rock n' roll" figure who never enjoyed the limelight of being a performer' but instead concentrated almost exclusively on his music. After achieving commercial success with Boston
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
, Scholz has spent much of his time working with charities
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
.
Early life
Tom Scholz was born in Toledo, OhioToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
and raised in the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Ottawa Hills
Ottawa Hills, Ohio
Ottawa Hills is a village in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,564 at the 2000 census. The village serves as an affluent bedroom community and suburb of Toledo. The village maintains a full time police and fire rescue department. The Ottawa Hills school district ranked first...
. His father, Don Scholz, was a homebuilder who garnered considerable wealth from his designs of prefabricated luxury houses and founded Scholz Homes Inc.
His mother Olive was valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of her class then became an architectural designer and a landscape architect.
As a child, Scholz studied classical piano. He also had a penchant for tinkering with everything from go-carts to model airplanes and was always building or designing. A top student and a member of the varsity basketball team, he graduated from Ottawa Hills High School in 1965. Prior to his musical career, Scholz received both a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
(1969) and a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
(1970) in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and worked for Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February...
as a senior product design engineer. Scholz would then reside in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Musical success, hiatus, and return
Scholz had a keen interest in music and began recording demos in his home studio while working at Polaroid. These demos attracted the interest of Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
who signed Scholz to a recording contract. Scholz believed his demos were good enough to be the released album
Boston (album)
The album soared, with three singles becoming Top 40 hits. All eight of the songs on the album still receive regular airplay on classic rock radio to this day, across the country...
but Epic told him to rerecord them. Most of the guitar, bass, and keyboards were performed by Scholz, although other players were involved sporadically throughout the recording of the album. Epic did not want the album recorded entirely in Scholz's home as Scholz intended (they suggested using a recording studio) but most of what ended up on the album
Boston (album)
The album soared, with three singles becoming Top 40 hits. All eight of the songs on the album still receive regular airplay on classic rock radio to this day, across the country...
was ultimately recorded by Scholz in his basement. The album was released in 1976 and became the biggest selling debut album by any artist up to that time. Scholz's reputed perfectionism delayed the followup for two years - he was unhappy with Don't Look Back and claimed it was released under pressure from the record company. Scholz declared he would not be forced to release any more music unless he was completely satisfied with the final product. Boston's third album Third Stage consequently did not appear until 1986 but was another success, featuring the chart topping single "Amanda". Only Scholz and original Boston vocalist Brad Delp
Brad Delp
Bradley E. Delp was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Boston. Delp was known for his vocal histrionics, and especially his high range.-Early life:...
remained from the original group on the third album.
Scholz also started his own line of guitar effects under the name Rockman
Rockman
Rockman can refer to:* The Japanese name of the video game character Mega Man, as well as the first game in the franchise* Alexis Rockman, an American contemporary artist known for his paintings depicting the precarious relationship between man and nature...
. These were supposed to sound like the "true Boston" sound. The boxes were arranged in cabinets and played through a stereo signal (analog) path. The originals have today become collectors' items.
After the death of Delp in March 2007, Boston held a concert in his memory on August 19, 2007 at the Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
Pavilion in the group's home city. Fran Cosmo
Fran Cosmo
Fran Cosmo is an American musician best known as a former lead singer of the band Boston.-Music career:Cosmo was first featured on guitarist Barry Goudreau's self titled solo album in 1980, a prelude to the formation of Orion the Hunter in 1983...
was unable to sing due to a vocal injury, so Tom invited guest singers including Michael Sweet
Michael Sweet
Michael Sweet is a singer from Whittier, California, United States. Sweet is best known as co-founder, writer and frontman of the Christian glam metal band Stryper. He was also one of the two lead vocalists and one of three guitarists for Boston until August 2011.-Youth:He began his musical career...
from Stryper
Stryper
Stryper is a Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet , Oz Fox , Tim Gaines , and Robert Sweet...
and long time Boston fan Tommy DeCarlo
Tommy DeCarlo
Tommy DeCarlo , is an American singer. He is the current lead singer of Boston.DeCarlo was born in Utica, New York, and became a fan of Boston as a teenager. He began recording covers of their songs and posting them on his MySpace with him on vocals. In March 2007, Boston lead singer Brad Delp...
who after auditioning live in front of Tom made a guest appearance on lead vocals.
Personal life
Scholz has been a vegetarianVegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
for 31 years. He set up his own charitable foundation
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, the DTS Charitable Foundation in 1987 to help support such causes as animal protection, providing vegetarian resources, stopping world hunger
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
, creating homeless shelter
Homeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
s, food bank
Food bank
A food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have...
s, as well as animal rescues
Rescue group
An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable new homes for them...
and sanctuaries
Animal sanctuary
An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives. Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death...
, and advocating for children's rights
Children's rights
Children's rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young, including their right to association with both biological parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education,...
. Through his work with his foundation, he has raised millions of dollars. Scholz married his second wife, Kim Hart, in the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
on January 11, 2007. They live in the Boston area.
From his first marriage, Scholz has one son, Jeremy, who graduated from MIT in 2005 with a degree in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
. When asked if his son likes his music, Scholz joked, "I think he does... but he's such a nice kid that he would pretend he did even if he didn't."
Scholz has remarked on the relationship with Boston's various record labels that "The [music] business would be a good thing, except that it's dominated by drug addicts and businessmen". In regard to the theme of his album Corporate America
Corporate America (album)
-Personnel:*Tom Scholz - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums, Vocals*Brad Delp - Vocals*Fran Cosmo - Vocals*Gary Pihl - Guitar, Keyboards*Anthony Cosmo - Guitar, Vocals*Kimberley Dahme - Vocals, Guitar on "With you"*David Sikes - Bass*Curly Smith - Drums...
, Scholz told the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
that "The thing that made me decide to break with previous albums and include an overtly political song, was when I discovered that for the first time in American history big business owns the news media". He also stated that "The public has been sold a bill of goods about the free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
being a panacea
Panacea
In Greek mythology, Panacea was a goddess of healing. She was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Panacea and her five sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art: Panacea was the goddess of cures, Iaso was the goddess of recuperation, Hygieia was the goddess of disease prevention, Aceso was...
for mankind. Turning corporations loose and letting the profit motive run amok is not a prescription for a more livable world".
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