Tommy McClendon, also known by his stage name, Atomik Tommy M, is a Japanese born American musician, best known for his work with
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
from 1984-1988.
Early life
McClendon was born in Yokohama, Japan, and moved to
Stockton, California
Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
when he was 10. A multi-instrumentalist, he began learning violin at the age of 5, piano at 10, and guitar at 13.
McClendon's first band was formed when he was 15 with his brother, Dan. He graduated from Stockton's
Lincoln High School in 1972.
McClendon performed in multiple different bands before becoming a member of UFO. The members of the group were Deep Water, Thunderwing, and Boy Wonder, the latter of which inspired his "Atomik Tommy M" stage name.
His early musical influences include
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including ...
,
Mance Lipscomb
Mance Lipscomb (April 9, 1895 – January 30, 1976) was an American blues singer, guitarist and songster. He was born Beau De Glen Lipscomb near Navasota, Texas. As a youth he took the name Mance (short for ''emancipation'') from a friend of hi ...
, and
Paul Butterfield
Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...
.
With UFO
Before McClendon joined UFO, the band disbanded after its unsuccessful tour supporting ''
Making Contact''.
Phil Mogg
Phillip John Mogg (born 15 April 1948, Wood Green, London) is the lead singer for the English rock band UFO, which he formed with longtime friends Pete Way and Andy Parker.Buckley, Peter (1999) ''The Rough Guide to Rock'', Rough Guides, , p. ...
spent time in Los Angeles, where he contacted, through
Mike Varney
Mike Varney is an American record producer and music publisher. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records, and Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in Magna Carta Recor ...
, McClendon, asking him to be in a new band. This new band later ended up staying as UFO, and they released
Misdemeanor
in 1985. They also released
Ain't Misbehavin' in 1988 with McClendon.
After UFO
McClendon was the guitarist for ex-
Tesla bassist
Brian Wheat
Tesla is an American rock band from Sacramento, California. In late 1981, bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon formed a band named City Kidd, which evolved into Tesla. By 1984, vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, and drummer ...
's band Soulmotor, appearing on their first three releases. More recently, he was in the group When We Become Kings, which broke up in 2017. McClendon gives guitar lessons at The Music Box in
Lodi, California
Lodi ( ) is a city located in San Joaquin County, California, in the center portion of California's Central Valley. The population was 62,134 at the 2010 census. The estimated population is approximately 67,586 according to 2019 census data. L ...
.
Bands
*SoulMotor (1999)- Guitars
*Revolution Wheel (2002)- Guitars, Keyboards
*UFO - As Atomik Tommy M (1984-1988) - Guitars
References
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
{{US-musician-stub