Born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, a young Tom Sheehan left the first grade when his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he lived through sixth grade. They returned to Pennsylvania and settled in Oley, where he spent the remainder of his school years before heading to Penn State University for his college education. While at Penn State he began to seriously write and perform music.
“I was tied up with an agent, and booked playing at hotels and colleges Tuesdays through Saturdays in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York State. I took three weeks off to travel to England and eventually had enough of this schedule. I met my wife while playing at the Reading Motor Inn during that time. I had originally started as a pre-law major, which included a political science course. I found it to be interesting, delving into how advertising helps a candidate get elected, so I switched my major to advertising.”
Tom went on to form his own advertising and marketing company located in Wyomissing; Tom Sheehan Worldwide. “Our focus was marketing communications, mostly for healthcare, hospitals, and a lot of big companies. We’ve worked all over the world and always something different.”
As a songwriter, Tom’s inspiration came from the news and the world around him, as well as human relationships. Critics have said, “Tom Sheehan is to popular music what director Oliver Stone is to film. His writing is emotional and insightful, casting new light on familiar events, people and issues. And while certainly not the first social commentary with rock music, Tom does so from a unique perspective – an insightful point of view tempered by experience.”
The roots of Tom’s musical influences came in two parts and at different times in his life, both contributing to his overall development as a musician. “I never liked country music. When I was little, my mother had a record player and would put records on with Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb mixed in with Penny Lane.” Fast forward 25 years, working with a high-profile client at his day job, an artist in the music industry.
“I had as a client, Glenn Frey from the Eagles. I told him about the time I had to sleep out for tickets. I bought two tickets with the hope of getting a date to go with me. I ended up going with my friend Bryan; we had sixth row seats. The band comes out playing Doolin-Dalton, Glenn playing harmonica as an intro; the place went nuts. I was hooked. At the time I had been playing a little, but now I was truly inspired. I think it was around 1974 when I was in high school.”
“At the time that Glenn was a client, I had this show in Hollywood at the end of a line of two-week swings. I was running a business, and I remember sitting in the green room thinking I can’t do this anymore. They called my name and I played my 35 minutes. Who is sitting with the Mission Records crew but Glenn – at my last performance! I went up to him afterward and said that what was interesting was that he got me into this, and here he was at my last performance. His words were “never say never.” It was great to be able to work with Glenn and his manager, nice to work with one of my heroes. I was glad to get in for his last show in 2001.”
“Tom Sheehan is an artist that you need to know about,” said John Schoenberger, Adult Album Alternative editor of Radio & Records. His debut album “Where You Are,” (1998) produced two Adult Alternative and Major College radio hits, “Die Like Elvis” and the ballad “City of Angels”. The record received significant airplay in America and Europe.
His second release, “Film @ Eleven” (2000), was played over major college radio stations, and included songs whose topics ranged from the Kennedy assassination to the Columbine High School tragedy. “It’s Only Love” from this recording charted at #17 on CMJ and #34 on the R&R Adult/Contemporary chart, and earned the #2 Most Added in its first week of release.
In 2006 Tom released the album “Confession in the Back Room”, which was a breakthrough for him. It was recorded completely remotely in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Reading, bringing together 12 outstanding musicians and 15 songs into the backdrop of a smokey, liquor-infused bar band setting. “The results are electric, and the project so unique that it was twice featured in Recording Magazine.”
In 2025 Tom retired from his business and has returned full-time to his passion for writing and recording music. As a writer and artist with a gifted vision, and a unique view of the world, he continues to churn out music through his state-of-the-art studio. “Right now I am mostly writing songs for other artists. These artists want virgin material, which they don’t want to appear anywhere else. It is a balancing act, putting the music out through the right channels. Once I’ve completed one batch, I start on the next.”
You can learn more about Tom Sheehan at www.19north.com; or follow 19 North Records on Facebook.
