Thomas Michael "Tommy" Caldwell (November 9, 1949 – April 28, 1980) was the bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 and original frontman for The Marshall Tucker Band

The Marshall Tucker Band

The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...

 between 1973 and 1980. He was from Spartanburg

Spartanburg, South Carolina

thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...

, South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

. He died from injuries suffered in a Jeep crash on April 28, 1980, at the age of 30. As well as being the frontman, he also sang background vocals

Backing vocalist

A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

 and wrote

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...

 several songs, including "Melody Ann," which was the only song he ever performed lead vocals on. His last performance with the band was on April 18, 1980. This performance is captured on the 2006 release, Live on Long Island

Live on Long Island

Live on Long Island 04-18-80 is a 2-CD set recorded by The Marshall Tucker Band at Nassau Coliseum just 10 days before the death of bassist and founding member Tommy Caldwell. This is the first CD to feature a complete concert recording from the original band...

. He was the brother

Sibling

Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...

 of bandmate, Toy Caldwell

Toy Caldwell

Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr. was the lead guitar player and a founding member of the 1970s Southern Rock group The Marshall Tucker Band. He was a member of the band from 1973 to 1983.-Early life:...

.

The Charlie Daniels Band's 1980 album Full Moon

Full Moon (Charlie Daniels album)

Full Moon is a studio album by The Charlie Daniels Band released on July 18, 1980. It produced two hit singles for the band, In America and The Legend of Wooley Swamp...

is dedicated to him.