Tom Baxter

Tom Baxter (born Thomas Baxter Gleave, 29 October 1973) is an English singer-songwriter based in London. He was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, and grew up in Camborne Cornwall with his 4 siblings.

The second son of Jeff and Julie Gleave (who were regulars on the folk music circuit in the late 1960s and early 1970s). Baxter and his siblings use their middle names as stage surnames.

Baxter is the middle brother of Jo Spencer (the eldest), and his younger brother   Charlie Winston, a successful songwriter based in France. The youngest sibling Vashti Anna was named after singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan who is a family friend.

By 15 Baxter had picked up the guitar and started a rockabilly band with his elder brother after hearing 'The Elvis Sun Sessions'. He went on to join Art school at 17 to specialize in Fine Art Painting. After moving to London at age 19 to attend music college to study a foundation course in Music & Performance at Brunel University and then later graduating with a BA in Commercial Music at Westminster University.

During this period he spent much of his time on the gig circuit and later  up a legendary series of successful residencies at Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush and The Bedford, Balham which brought him to the attention of the major record labels.

A self-titled EP was released by Sony Music through the Columbia Records label in May 2004 and included the tracks "Joanna", "Half a Man" and "My Declaration".

On the 30th July 2004, Baxter released on Columbia Records to critical acclaim his 10 track debu
album
''Feather and Stone'', recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios. Following the release the album became a regular on the BBC Radio 2 playlist. Singles from the album included "This Boy" and "My Declaration". The album release was followed by a headlining UK tour and entered the Official UK Charts Top 75 Albums in August 2004. He also supported Nerina Pallot on her UK tour in January 2007. Prior to the album release Baxter was signed early on by Mike McCormack at Universal music publishing in 2003. After the release of Feather & Stone. Tom toured the UK & Ireland extensively off the back of a his Radio 2 success championed by Terry Wogan, Jonathon Ross and long time supporter Paul Kramer of th
Hit Sheet
During this time he was managed by Matt Racher, Billy Mcleod, Matthew Austin. Baxter did many headline shows but also supported acts including, David Grey, Damien Rice, Kt Tunstall, Katie Melua, The Beautiful South. In 2004 Baxter performed live on the Jonathon Ross Show singing
This Boy
directed by Ben & Joe Dempsy 2004.

In 2006, after parting ways with Sony. Baxter had the freedom, renewed confidence and artistic skills from his formative fine art training to pay for his next album by painting a large (3ft x 3ft) canvas for each of the ten 10 tracks on his next album ‘Skybound’. Each print sold for £2000 with a hugely anticipated artwork sale at the former Richard Dennis Gallery in Notting Hill, London.  In an interview with the Daily Mail Baxter discusses how the musing of his artwork and music kept his perspective fresh and added more depth to his creativity. Now recognised not only as a gifted singer song-writer but a gifted painter, Baxter has been described as a multimedia role model.  Online guitar tutorials and an 80 page hardback book ’Tales from the Forest of Hope’ with stories and illustrated artwork followed also helped to raise funds for his music.

On the 4th June 2007, Baxter released the critically acclaime
album
Skybound under his independent label Sylvan. The 10 track album recorded independently in just 5 days at a recording studio in Chelsea, earning the praise of reaching the Top 20 charts and hailed as Album of the Week. Released on the revived Charisma Records label through a licensing deal with EMI after he split with Sony early in 2007. The first single, " Better", was released in January 2008 and was subsequently used on the soundtrack for the motion picture Run Fatboy Run.
Miracle
was used by the BBC
...