Tommy Womack (born November 20, 1962, in
Sturgis, Kentucky
Sturgis is a home rule-class city in Union County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,898 at the 2010 census. Located in northwest Kentucky, the city was founded in 1890 and named for Samuel Sturgis, who owned the land now occupied b ...
)
is an American singer-songwriter and author.
Career
Early endeavors
Womack played with the band Government Cheese from 1985 to 1992.
[ He wrote an engaging memoir about this experience called ''Cheese Chronicles: The True Story of a Rock 'n Roll Band You Never Heard Of''. It was originally published in 1995 and its reputation grew enough to warrant multiple printings. ''Nashville Scene'' said, "his hilariously honest memoirs...have become a cult favorite among musicians both famous and unknown".
Womack later joined the Bis-quits, which released one album on ]Oh Boy Records
Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1981 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta, and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris ...
in 1993.
In the mid-1990s, Womack began writing songs with Jason Ringenberg
Jason Ringenberg (born November 22, 1958) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist and the lead singer of Jason & the Scorchers. The band had several hits, including "Golden Ball and Chain" and a rock version of Bob Dylan's " ...
of Jason & the Scorchers
Jason & the Scorchers, originally Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, are a cowpunk band that formed in 1981 and are led by singer-songwriter Jason Ringenberg.
With a sound that combines punk rock and country music, Jason and the Scorchers are not ...
, a band that Womack had idolized. Looking back in 2012, Ringenberg said that he'd originally viewed Womack as a pest, but he gained respect after reading ''The Cheese Chronicles''. They co-wrote three of the first four songs on the Scorchers' 1996 album ''Clear Impetuous Morning''.
Solo career
Womack released his first solo album, ''Positively Na-Na'', in 1998, followed by another one, ''Stubborn'', two years later. In 2002, he released ''Circus Town'', his third solo album. Womack and his band released an album in 2003 entitled ''Washington, D.C.'', which was recorded live in an XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XM) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable ...
studio. In 2007, he released ''There, I Said It!'', which became his biggest success.[ The album's success led to Womack receiving glowing reviews from the national press and offers for international gigs. He followed it with the 2012 album, ''Now What!'', which contained songs about a wide variety of topics, such as family life and the perils of road life.][
Womack's songs have been recorded by ]Jimmy Buffett
James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...
, Jason Ringenberg, Dan Baird
Daniel John Baird (born December 12, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist from the 1980s rock band The Georgia Satellites. Baird formed The Georgia Satellites in 1 ...
, David Olney
David Charles Olney (March 23, 1948 – January 18, 2020) was an American folk singer-songwriter. Olney recorded more than twenty albums over his five-decade career. His songs have been covered by numerous artists, including Emmylou Harris, Del ...
, Todd Snider
Todd Daniel Snider (born October 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk.
Early career
Snider was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in nearby Beaverton, wher ...
, Kevin Fowler
Kevin Fowler (born May 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter. He has released five studio albums, and has charted four singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including the top 40 hit "Pound Sign (#?*!)". In addition, he wrot ...
, Scott Kempner
Scott "Top Ten" Kempner (February 6, 1954 – November 29, 2023) was an American rock musician who was the rhythm guitarist of The Dictators. He was also a founding member of The Del-Lords and later a member of The Brandos.
Background and car ...
, and others.
He is the author of two books. In addition to ''Cheese Chronicles'', the other work is ''Lavender Boys and Elsie'', an offbeat Civil War novel (self-published in 2008).
Womack's eighth full-length album ''I Thought I Was Fine'' was released in 2021 and received an "A" review from veteran critic Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
, who claimed that "never has this Nashville lifer made more of his knack for words and the tunes to put them across ... so funny and humane that you can't help rooting for him."
Personal life
Womack is married to Beth Womack, née Beth Tucker, an Emmy winner for her work on WTVF
WTVF (channel 5) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Ion Television owned-and-operated station WNPX-TV (channel 28). WTVF's studios are loca ...
in Nashville; she now works for Metropolitan Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
Public Schools. They live in Nashville with their son and pets.[ In June 2015, he was injured in a car crash in ]Sonora, Kentucky
Sonora is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 565 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, up from 513 from the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census,. It is i ...
, when his Nissan Sentra
The Nissan Sentra is a series of automobiles manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 1982. Since 1999, the Sentra has been categorized as a compact car, while previously it occupied the subcompact class. Until 2006, Sentra was a reb ...
was broadsided by a tractor trailer. The crash broke four bones in his pelvis.[
Womack is active on Facebook and has frequently posted publicly there about his battles with bladder cancer and his sobriety.][, accessed July 19, 2023]
Discography
Solo albums
* ''Positively Na Na'' (1998)
* ''Stubborn'' (2000)
* ''Circus Town'' (2002)
* ''Washington D.C.'' (2003)
* ''There, I Said It!'' (2007)
* ''Now What!'' (2012)
* ''Namaste'' (2016)
* ''I Thought I Was Fine'' (2021)
With Bis-Quits
* ''The Bis-quits'', The Bis-quits (1993)
With Daddy
* ''Daddy at the Women's Club'' Daddy (2005)
* ''For a Second Time'' Daddy (2009)
With Government Cheese
* ''Live! Three Chords, No Waiting'' (1989)
* ''Government Cheese'' (1992)
* ''Government Cheese: 1985-1995'' (2011)
* ''Government Cheese: The Late Show'' (2015)
* ''Government Cheese: Love'' (2022)
With
Todd Snider
Todd Daniel Snider (born October 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk.
Early career
Snider was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in nearby Beaverton, wher ...
* ''The Devil You Know'' (2006)
* ''Peace, Love and Anarchy (Rarities, B-Sides and Demos, Vol. 1)'' (2007)
Other appearances
* ''Lucky 13'', (with The Bis-quits) (1998)
* ''Freedom Sings - First Amendment Center'' (2000)
* ''Freight Train Boogie: A Collection of Americana Music'' (2001)
* ''All Over Creation'' by Jason Ringenberg
Jason Ringenberg (born November 22, 1958) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist and the lead singer of Jason & the Scorchers. The band had several hits, including "Golden Ball and Chain" and a rock version of Bob Dylan's " ...
(2002)
* ''Home Away'' by Will Kimbrough
William Adams Kimbrough (born May 1, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.
Biography
Kimbrough was born in Mobile, Alabama. He started his musical career as a fo ...
(2002)
* ''The Gene Pitney Story Retold'' (2002)
* ''This is Where I Belong: The Songs of Ray Davies & The Kinks'' (With Bill Lloyd) (2002)
* ''Every Word: A Tribute to Let's Active'' (2003)
* ''Jambodians'' (2004)
* ''35 Years: Bear Family Records'' (2010)
* ''The Six Sessions'' (with Will Kimbrough
William Adams Kimbrough (born May 1, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.
Biography
Kimbrough was born in Mobile, Alabama. He started his musical career as a fo ...
) (2010)
* ''The Oxford American-Southern Music CD #15 Featuring Music of Tennessee'' (2013)
References
External links
*
Nashville Storytellers Profile Episode
{{DEFAULTSORT:Womack, Tommy
1962 births
Living people
People from Union County, Kentucky
Rock musicians from Kentucky
Singers from Kentucky
Songwriters from Kentucky
Singers from Nashville, Tennessee
Songwriters from Tennessee