Rising Stars: Meet Tommy Link

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Link.

Hi Tommy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 
When I started taking guitar lessons at 16, I never imagined how much it would determine who I would be in life. Learning songs in my bedroom turned into singing at coffee shops in college, and before I knew it, I was playing every bar, festival, brewery, winery, and music hall that would have me in the tri-state area. Following I 90 along Lake Erie, I’ve spent the past decade playing all sorts of fun and beautiful venues. Conneaut, Ashtabula, Geneva, Doylestown, Andover, Kent, Kinsman, Vermilion, Berea, Cleveland, and Cincinnati are just a handful of the cities in Ohio I’ve found myself singing in, and I hope there are many more to come. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Just like anything else, there’s a learning curve in being a working musician, especially on the business end of things. Any bar, restaurant, or venue owner has a hundred and one other things to take care of on top of having somebody ready to play some music on Friday night. There’s a persistence and patience required to finding the places to play that are the right fit. There’s always the slower times and the busier times for booking shows and audiences that vary in their receptiveness of what you’re bringing to the table. But if you keep at it and there are people who like what you’re doing, word does spread (either through social media or the old-fashioned way), and things get a little easier when they start calling you. Speaking of smooth roads, it’s also important to make sure you have good tires in this line of work, especially in the winter. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
Singing guitarist, singer-songwriter, and six-stringer songsinger are all titles I’ve fallen under. I write and sing and play as often as I can for a variety of crowds everywhere between Cleveland, Buffalo and Pittsburgh (and sometimes even further out than that). A good portion of the time, I’m playing songs you’ve likely heard before. It’s mainly radio hits from the ’60s through the ’90s, but I make an effort to keep things a little more interesting for the audience (as well as myself). I put a lot of thought into my selections; while they might be songs you know, it might be something you haven’t heard in a minute, or it might be something you know that I put my own twist on.

My pride, however, is in my writing. While it’s not as often I’m playing shows geared towards original music, it’s a true joy when the opportunities come. I’ve been writing songs almost as long as I’ve been playing guitar, and the more I write, the more I find my voice and story that I want to share with people. 

Any big plans?
Honestly, it’s a line of work where more of the same can be a very good thing. I’m so grateful for all the places that keep asking me back to play year after year. That said, I’m always on the hunt for new venues, and year by year, I try getting on the road to travel out a little further (I had my first show in Michigan last year). Here’s hoping for new venues, new songs to write, and new people to play for! (Just like last year and the year before that) 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tommylinkinc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tommylinkmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommylinkmusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/tommylinkmusic
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0406xQOR7h3w5XCzJkjOCE

Image Credits
Kevin Gates
Rylee Louisa
Brooke Surgener