Tom Boyer, Age 6

Tom Boyer's life is a wonderful example of how inspiration, determination and belief can triumph over hardship.

Born July 2, 1951 in Bonne Terre, Missouri, Tom Boyer grew up the youngest of four children in the rural mid-western community of Potosi. He was only 8 years old when his father passed away. Mother Erma, a schoolteacher, older brother Bob, and maternal Uncle Rip were the primary influences in his young life, filling Tom's childhood with education, hunting and stories of playing college football.

No discussion of Tom's youth would be complete without taking note of his success on the basketball court as a member of the starting five in the historic 1968/69 Potosi High School team. Under the leadership of Rex Bailey, now enshrined in the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame, Tom's team was undefeated in the regular season, winning 32 straight games.

It was Tom's brother Bob who first brought music into Tom's life. Tom was 13 when his brother came home on leave from the Navy and presented him with an electric Fender Mustang guitar. Bob showed Tom three chords and Tom took it from there. That same year, Tom and his friends Donnie Trokey and Jerry Politte entered a talent contest, playing the popular tune "Tequila". Despite Donnie's amp breaking down mid-way through the song, the trio won the contest and took home $5 each!

Ray Charles and Elvis Presley were Tom's earliest musical heroes. The Ventures and Duane Eddy had their impact as well, but it was Chet Atkins who had the most profound impact on Tom's future as a guitarist. Tom remembers his brother introducing him to Chet's music when he was 15. "I was mesmerized." Tom says, "I was stunned that one person could make so many sounds come out of a guitar."

Tom left Missouri in 1969, four days after his high school graduation. He went to live with his brother Bob, then a police officer in the city of San Diego. The very next year Tom met the man who would become his musical mentor … D.R. Auten. "D.R. was a Chet-style picker back then," remembers Tom. "He was then and has always been a notch above me as a guitar player." Completely self-taught, Tom has spent the past 40 years perfecting his craft.

#42 going for the rebound!

Touring with the band Cotton in 1973

The next major development in Tom's musical career was a nine-month, seven-state tour in 1973 as the lead guitarist for the group Cotton. "We traveled all over the country in a Dodge van, playing top 40 hits in hotels, small clubs, you name it. It was one of the toughest years I've ever spent … I was never so glad to get home as I was at the end of that trip."

Back in San Diego, Tom re-connected with D.R. and continued to learn and grow as a musician. His brother Bob's influence remained strong, as Tom followed his older brother into the field of public safety. Having become a police officer at San Diego State University, Tom had to fit his playing and practicing time around his work and family responsibilities. He played for a variety of local venues and private functions, always looking for ways to improve his musicianship.

Bob's unexpected death when Tom was only 26 years old plunged him into a long spiral of alcoholic despair. It took intervention by his employers for Tom to acknowledge his alcoholism and to accept treatment. Proudly, Tom has been sober since January 20, 1986.

In 1993, Tom's music took on an added dimension when he joined the contemporary worship band Witness at Foothills United Methodist Church in La Mesa, California. A member of Foothills' congregation since 1990, his participation in Witness ignited a spiritual growth that convinced him that a music ministry was his calling.

1996 was a milestone year in Tom's musical career. He attended his first Chet Atkins Appreciation Society (CAAS) Conference, held annually in Nashville, Tennessee. There, he finally came face to face with his idol … Chet Atkins. He still treasures the memory of 'The Chief' signing Tom's Washburn acoustic guitar, an instrument he's never played or changed the strings on since it left the maestro's hands. "I stepped into the hallway afterward and cried like a baby," he remembers.

1996 was also the year Tom first played a Taylor guitar. His long-time friend D.R. Auten was working as a representative for Taylor at the time, and invited Tom to play some of the models he had with him at the conference. "I was just astounded at the sound and the ease of play" he recalls. "I've never bought any other brand of guitar since then." While the Taylor 514 is his favorite instrument, Tom is also the proud owner of four other Taylors: T5 Custom, NS72 Nylon, Baby electric and a Big Baby.

Tom Boyer with idol Chet Atkins

The CAAS conference has become an annual pilgrimage for Tom. Following his initial attendance in 1996, he was encouraged to submit a tape to the conference organizers. In 1997 he was invited to attend as a performer, and has been invited back every year since then. In addition to meeting Chet Atkins, it was through CAAS that Tom met fellow musicians Tommy Emmanuel, Doyle Dykes and Edgar Cruz. Each of these men has influenced Tom's musical development, and their friendship is something he treasures. He and Tommy have performed and recorded together, Doyle has had a profound spiritual impact on him, and Edgar was the inspiration for Tom's composition "Cruz'n", which is featured on Tom's most recent CD, "A New Beginning".

On September 9, 2004, Tom's life changed drastically. He was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. He was given a 40-60% chance of survival. For the next several months Tom endured chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The debilitating affects of these treatments left him exhausted, too weak to leave his apartment. There were many hours of thought and contemplation. His comfort came from prayer, his faith, his guitar and the support of his friends.

Tom wrote several songs during his illness and recovery, channeling the intense emotions he was experiencing into his music. Songs about his journey to wellness — "A New Beginning", "Path of Friends", "My Best Friend", and "Skippy" (the song he composed after getting the post-surgical call from his physician proclaiming him cancer free), became the core of his second CD release, "A New Beginning".