Thomas Picardo Jr. (August 17, 1942 – May 2, 2021), known professionally as Tommy West, was an American record producer and singer-songwriter.

Early career

Thomas Picardo Jr. was born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. West's career as a performing artist began in 1958 when he co-founded the

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

group The Criterions with Tim Hauser, a classmate of his at St. Rose High School in

Belmar, New Jersey Belmar is a Borough (New Jersey), borough located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,907, an increase of 113 ...

. In 1959, the group hit the pop charts with "I Remain Truly Yours". West is a 1963 graduate of

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

. While attending Villanova, he became student conductor of the school's glee club, The Villanova Singers. West formed a sub-group of the Singers called The Villanova Spires, a 12-man group who performed folk songs with guitar accompaniment. Tim Hauser, also then a student at Villanova, joined the group. In 1961, West auditioned fellow student

Jim Croce James Joseph Croce (; January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American Folk music, folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of o ...

for The Spires and an enduring friendship was formed. After graduating in 1963, West became a radio announcer and music director of WRLB (FM) in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 31,667, an increase of 948 (+3.1%) from the 2010 census count of 30,719, which in turn reflect ...

. In 1966, he left the station and began work for

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

in New York, where he met

Terry Cashman Terry Cashman (born Dennis Minogue; July 5, 1941) is an American record producer and singer-songwriter, best known for his 1981 hit, " Talkin' Baseball". While the song is well recognized today and allowed Cashman the chance to meet the feature ...

and Gene Pistilli, songwriters at the company. This trio, Cashman, Pistilli and West, began a writing and performing collaboration. In 1967, they recorded an album titled ''Bound To Happen''. West became a session singer and sang back-up vocals on albums by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

, and Mitch Ryder. He was a jingle singer for radio and television commercials.

Capitol Records

In 1968, Cashman, Pistilli and West signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

and recorded an album titled ''Cashman, Pistilli & West'', produced by Nik Venet. Simultaneously, they recorded under the pseudonym Buchanan Brothers. This trio is remembered for the single "Medicine Man". Also that year, they formed the publishing companies Interrobang Productions, Blendingwell Music, and Sister John Music. They signed folk duo Jim and

Ingrid Croce Ingrid Croce (née Jacobson, born April 27, 1947) is an American author, singer-songwriter, and restaurateur. Between 1964 and 1971, Ingrid performed as a duo with her husband, Jim Croce, releasing the album '' Jim & Ingrid Croce'' in 1969. Bio ...

and secured a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1969, turning production duties over to Nik Venet for their album '' Jim & Ingrid Croce''. The album was released, but was not well received. In 1969, Cashman, Pistilli and West were introduced to a talented young musician, Maury Muehleisen. Soon after they signed Muehleisen, Pistilli left the partnership and became a founding member of

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer was an American vocal group founded in 1969 in New York City, performing music genres like a cappella, Brazilian jazz, Swing music, swing, vocalese, rhythm and blues, Pop music, pop, and standards. They have won eleven G ...

, joining up with West's lifelong hometown friend Tim Hauser and West's then wife, Pat Rosalia. Cashman and West produced Muehleisen's album ''Gingerbreadd'', released by Capitol Records in November 1970. This critically well received album brought together Muehleisen and Jim Croce, who for a short time accompanied Muehleisen on guitar for live performances. Cashman and West began an association with producer

Wes Farrell Wesley Donald Farrell (December 21, 1939 – February 29, 1996) was an American musician, songwriter and record producer, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s. Career Farrell was born in New York, United States. Farrell's catalogue incl ...

and composed eight songs that were recorded by

The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom created by Bernard Slade, which was broadcast in the United States from September 1970 to March 1974 on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. After the final first-run telecast on ABC in March ...

: "She'd Rather Have The Rain", "Only A Moment Ago", "Every Song Is You", "One Day At A Time", "Come On Love", "Sunshine Eyes", "It Sounds Like You're Saying Hello", and "It's Time That I Knew You Better".

Success with Jim Croce

In 1971, Cashman and West signed as artists with ABC-Dunhill and produced the first of three Jim Croce albums, ''

You Don't Mess Around With Jim ''You Don't Mess Around with Jim'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce; it released in April 1972 by ABC Records. History and release The album was recorded over a three to four-week period for approximately $18,00 ...

''. Recorded in late 1971 and released in April 1972, this album produced three hit singles. Simultaneously, Cashman and West were on the charts with their first single, their tribute to New York City, the "American City Suite". In 1973, Cashman and West produced Croce's '' Life and Times'' and '' I Got a Name'' albums. They received five gold records for their work on Jim Croce's hits - No. 1 singles " Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "

Time in a Bottle "Time in a Bottle" is a song by singer-songwriter Jim Croce. It appeared on Croce's 1972 ABC third album '' You Don't Mess Around with Jim'' and was featured in the 1973 ABC made-for-television movie '' She Lives!'' After Croce was killed in ...

", and three albums (''You Don't Mess Around With Jim'', ''Life and Times'', and ''I Got A Name''), and all three now have reached platinum status. Croce and Muehleisen perished in a small plane crash in

Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; , ), officially the City of Natchitoches, is a small city in, and the parish seat of, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. At the 2020 United States census, the city's population was ...

on September 20, 1973. Cashman and West went on to record two more albums for ABC-Dunhill, ''Moondog Serenade'' and ''Lifesong''. Tommy West recorded the solo single "I Know" which reached No. 114 in Record World and No. 30 in Billboard's "Easy Listening" Top 50, in early 1977. The song was a remake of a 1960 tune by the Spaniels.

Career as a producer

In 1974, Cashman and West produced records by Jim Dawson and

Mary Travers Mary Allin Travers (November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009) was an American singer who found fame as a member of the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, along with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey. Travers grew up amid the burgeoning folk sce ...

. In 1975, they formed Lifesong Records and recorded singer-songwriter

Henry Gross Henry Gross (born April 1, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his association with the group Sha Na Na and for his hit record, hit song, "Shannon (song), Shannon". Gross is considered a one-hit wonder artist; none of his ot ...

, who in 1976 had a million-selling single " Shannon". West also recorded ''Hometown Frolics'', his solo album. In 1978, Cashman and West produced Dion's "The Return of the Wanderer". West began recording in Nashville in 1978, producing an album by

Gail Davies Gail Davies (born Patricia Gail Dickerson; June 5, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and the first female record producer in country music. She is the daughter of country singer Tex Dickerson and the sister of songwriter Ron Davies. Gai ...

and beginning a five-album collaboration with

Ed Bruce William Edwin Bruce Jr. (December 29, 1939 – January 8, 2021) was an American country music songwriter, singer, and actor. He was known for writing the 1975 song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and recording the 1982 cou ...

. In 1984, West entered into a partnership with

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whic ...

's MTM Records, based in Nashville. Production credits during this time include recordings by Judy Rodman, Holly Dunn, and Girls Next Door and The Metros from Minneapolis. West produced two No. 1 country singles - " You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had" with

( MCA Nashville) and " Until I Met You" with Judy Rodman (one of two number ones on MTM Records). In 1992, Tommy West launched High Harmony Records. Its initial release, ''Through The Raindrops'', by harmonica virtuoso Robert Bonfiglio, remained on the Billboard New Age chart for nine months. The album made the Top Twenty New Age year-end chart in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' and launched Bonfiglio's success on the QVC Network, where his appearances generated over 200,000 units. In 1993, West teamed up with

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...

and produced '' Croonin''', a collection of pre-rock songs of the 1950s. The album achieved double platinum status in Canada and had a substantial run on the American charts as well. ''Croonin'' received a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

as best engineered pop recording of 1993. In 1994, West produced ''Kindred Spirits'' with New Age pianist Andy Wasserman. In 1996, West produced ''Always On My Mind'', a collection of pop standards with Robert Bonfiglio for Time-Life Records. In 1997, West produced ''Healing In The Dark'' with acoustic rock duo

Blonde on Blonde ''Blonde on Blonde'' is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musici ...

. He produced a Bonfiglio Christmas TV special for PBS called "Home For The Holidays". In 1998, he produced ''Playing God'' with singer-songwriter Bob Hillman. A second album, ''Welcome To My Century'', was recorded in 2000. In 1999, West again teamed up with Anne Murray and produced ''

What a Wonderful World "What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong on August 16, 1967. In April 1968, it topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed p ...

'', a two CD collection of inspirational and secular "message songs". This recording reached No. 1 on the ''

'' Contemporary Christian chart, achieving double platinum status in the United States. In 2000, West produced Susan Piper's album, ''The Truth Comes Out''. In 2001, West produced eight Christmas songs with Anne Murray as part of a project entitled '' What a Wonderful Christmas''. In 2002, West produced '' Country Croonin''' a 30-song double CD of country tracks, which was certified gold in 2004 by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. In 2004, West produced '' All of Me'' with Anne Murray, a collection of pop standards from the

Great American Songbook The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant 20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes. Definition According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" is th ...

. West focused on new singer-songwriters and recorded many of his projects in his state of the art studio, "Somewhere In New Jersey". Most recently he teamed up with former RCA recording artist Jim Dawson and former Cashman and West tour manager, John Battiloro, to produce the anthem "Back Together Again" for The Global Medical Relief Fund at his New Jersey studio. West died from complications of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

on May 2, 2021.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Tommy 1942 births 2021 deaths American male singer-songwriters American male pianists American male guitarists American keyboardists American session musicians Businesspeople from Jersey City, New Jersey Villanova University alumni Record producers from New Jersey Singer-songwriters from New Jersey Musicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Guitarists from New Jersey 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American pianists St. Rose High School alumni 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Singer-songwriters from New York (state)