Thomas John Peterson, better known as Tom Petersson, is an American musician who is best known for being the bass guitar player for the rock band

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

Career

Before joining

, Petersson played in a number of bands, including the Bol Weevils, the Grim Reapers, Sick Man of Europe, and

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

. He started out playing electric guitar, but soon switched to bass. His professional career has been closely entwined with Cheap Trick guitarist

Rick Nielsen Richard Alan Nielsen (born December 22, 1948) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist, primary songwriter, and leader of the rock band Cheap Trick. He is well-known for his numerous custom-made guitars from Hamer Guitars, incl ...

since the Grim Reapers in 1967, and the two co-founded Cheap Trick in 1974. During Cheap Trick's classic period, Petersson started playing the 12 string bass guitar, an instrument he conceived and developed in collaboration with luthiers at

Hamer Guitars Hamer Guitars was an American manufacturer of electric guitars founded in 1973, in Wilmette, Illinois, by vintage guitar shop owners Paul Hamer and Jol Dantzig. The company's early instruments featured guitar designs based on the Gibson Explorer ...

. Petersson left Cheap Trick in August 1980, shortly before the release of the album ''

All Shook Up "All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley, published by Elvis Presley Music, and composed by Otis Blackwell. The single topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 100 on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the ''Bil ...

''. He worked with his then-wife Dagmar on material for a solo album, which was eventually released in 1984 as the six-song EP '' Tom Peterson and Another Language''. Petersson also toured with

Carmine Appice Carmine Appice ( , born December 15, 1946) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge; Cactus; the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice; Rod Stewart; King Kobra; and Blue Murder. He is also Vinny Appice's ...

in 1982. From 1985 to 1987 he joined

Pete Comita Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...

, who had briefly replaced him in Cheap Trick, in a reformed version of his early band Sick Man of Europe, which also included songwriter

Janna Allen Janna Allen (May 12, 1957 – August 25, 1993) was an American songwriter. She is best known as a co-writer of some of the biggest hits recorded by Hall & Oates, in collaboration variously with Daryl Hall, John Oates and her sister Sara Allen, who ...

. Petersson rejoined Cheap Trick in 1987 and has remained with the band ever since. Outside of Cheap Trick, Petersson has worked with artists such as

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

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(unused tracks for the ''

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'' album), Bill Lloyd,

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, Foster and Lloyd,

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, Coinship, and members of

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. Petersson also appeared in

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' 1986 music video " Something to Believe In".

Personal life

Petersson and his wife Alison have two children, son Liam and daughter Lilah. In 2014, Tom and Alison founded ''Rock Your Speech'' to promote awareness and understanding of

Autism Spectrum The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

Disorder, and to use music to help children overcome speech difficulties associated with autism. Petersson is a serious guitar collector, owning a wide variety of guitars and basses. He prominently used a vintage

Gibson Thunderbird The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone. Background and introduction The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduct ...

bass as his main stage instrument for many years, until a girlfriend threw it out of a hotel window during an argument. Professionally he has endorsed a number of different bass brands during his career, including Hamer, Chandler, Waterstone, Electrical Guitar Company, Hofner, and Mike Lull. He currently plays Gretsch basses, including a pair of his distinctive Falcon signature 12-string basses (one in green, one in white), which Petersson endorses and which have now become a production model.

References

Bibliography

*''Reputation Is a Fragile Thing: The Story of Cheap Trick''; Mike Hayes with Ken Sharp, published by Poptastic, 1998,

External links

Official Cheap Trick website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersson, Tom Living people American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Songwriters from Illinois Cheap Trick members People from Winnebago County, Illinois Place of birth missing (living people) Guitarists from Illinois 20th-century American guitarists Enigma Records artists 1950 births