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I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 60s–the rich epicenter of music that defined my generation. I took up the guitar and wrote my first song after watching the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. My Mother was a classically trained pianist and organist. She played music in the church and didn’t approve of me playing Beatles music or rock and roll for that matter. Not to be deterred, I learned the guitar in secret paying for my lessons from my paper route money.

 

So, for many years, much like learning to play the guitar, songwriting was my own secret obsession and creative distraction from the hectic pace of the corporate world and raising my family. But music and songwriting was always there in background of my life. A muse whispering to me, luring me on.

 

In the early 90s my songwriting took a more serious turn when I opened a creative design office and recording studio in Nashville. It was there, I learned the craft of writing songs and producing recordings of them. I also learned a bit about the music business. I must admit as much fun as it was in Music City in those years, it wasn’t one of my better business decisions. No regrets.

 

People often ask me, “what kind of music? “.  My songs don’t seem to fit nicely into genre categories. I never know how a song will turn out in the end. It follows its own path. I'm along for the ride. My music has been described as having a "laid-back California boomer vibe" (if the shoe fits). My songwriting tends to blend evocative lyrics with lush arrangements influenced by folk, pop, rock, and jazz – basically a fusion of all the musical styles and artists boomers like me grew up listening to.

 

Finally, after a lifetime of secret songwriting, I released my first collection of songs with the album Every Choice in 1997. A song on that album, Real Love, reached number 16 on the Gavin Top 30 Adult Contemporary Radio Charts in the US at the time. Almost famous.

 

Since then, I’ve released five more collections of songs over the recent years. In early 2025, a new collection of songs will be digitally released under the title Winds of Change.  You can listen to my music on all music streaming services. You can purchase individual tracks. collections and my entire song catalog on Bandcamp.com 

 

https://thomsondawson.bandcamp.com/music

 

These days you’ll find me performing my songs and stories at events, small listening room venues, throughout Michigan and the California central coast.

 

Browse around my site and listen to my songs. If you enjoy my music, please sign up to my mailing list here and get notified of new song releases and concert performances.