Tom Prin

"Be What You Is, 'cause if you be what you ain't, then you ain't what you is. . ." originally found by Tom Prin on a tombstone in Arizona - and now memorialized in his song - "Be What You Is. " Tom wrote that and a whole lot more in a musical for the stage, entitled "Yips!." He writes a lot these days. . . music, stories, and the thoughts one accumulates from just being around for awhile. "My whole life has been a journey, an exploration, and an effort to stay tuned to the bigger picture, the power of words or the gift of a musical phrase.

"My whole life has been a journey, an exploration, and an effort to stay tuned to the bigger picture, the power of words or the gift of a musical phrase. My radar occasionally blips and I see through the panorama to the details. When I focus on the details and deliver them through an artistic medium the journey is complete; a song, a program or a play is born. And the song or the program in concert with an audience? - it's magic."

Tom Prin is both a very private person and a very public artist. He has come to the conclusion that institutions are difficult places to look for yourself. So Tom scratches around in the stuff of stories and catches the melodies singing in his ear, all with the idea of getting connected to himself as an artist and - hopefully in doing that well - to the community.

"My world view is shaped by the sacred - and I believe everything is sacred." Not long ago, one of Tom's friends was killed in an automobile collision. His family asked if he would play for the funeral. While digging around in songbooks and hymnals and in his own emotions surrounding his friend's death, Tom also found the spirit and soul of the songs he recorded under a collection of the same name. Reaching back to a younger time in Tom's life, he captured the whimsy and spontaneity of youth in his recording of "This Little Light of Mine." Moments like these have provided Tom with the artistic freedom to capture the positive and redemptive qualities in life, music, spirit, and song. So, join Tom along the way. . .

A writer once said in a review of a Tom Prin Trio concert, that "Listening to Tom Prin is like wearing your favorite pair of slippers. It is really comfortable and just makes you feel good." Tom Prin has something special for you.