Live! Love!
Listen To My Music!
Let my music take you to a far away place, a place of love and happiness. I sing and play the songs of the Great American Song book, plus music that is contemporary. You can hear my music in the many clubs in and around the Palm Springs, Ca area where I entertain. I am also available for private parties and corporate events. Let me make your party extra special with my music.
About Me
| When I won my first talent contest at the age of 7, I was hooked on music and show business. Encouraged by my parents, I continued my studies in music, learning to play several instruments. Singing and playing the piano soon became my passion, however. After high school in Los Angeles, I formed a small combo and played in clubs and restaurants around the Los Angeles area. I signed up with Musart Corporation to manage my career. That musical partnership afforded me a key position in a musical revue called “Funky Soul” at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Shortly after that I was drafted into the U.S. Army. During my stint in the military, I sang and performed for the troops in Vietnam. After Vietnam, I returned to entertaining in clubs, restaurants, and private parties in Hollywood, West Hollywood, and Silver Lake, California. My love of music gave me the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to entertain aboard Crystal Cruises for four years, enjoying two world cruises and visiting many well-known ports. At the end of each cruise, I was rated by the guests as their favorite cabaret pianist/singer. Currently, I live near Palm Springs, California. For the last six years I have entertained throughout the Coachella Valley, performing steadily in night clubs, private gatherings, festivals and more. Because of recent developments, I have had to rethink how and where I entertain the public. I can now be seen and heard on Facebook and Zoom. |
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My Values
My motto is: Love Is the Answer
Through my music I endeavor to to convey love and happiness to my audience. I prefer small intimate settings when entertaining. When I connect with my listeners, then the music comes directly from my soul.
My Story
We all have a passion. This is mine! From an early age, I decided to master my craft. And I’ve been learning ever since.
Hire me!
I am available to entertain in local clubs and restaurants in the Coachella Valley area. I also entertain for private parties and social events.
Give me a call at 760 401-4032 for pricing and availability.
About Me
He was born somewhere along the “Yellow Brick Road,” in a small town called Fort Scott, Kansas. Even before entering Kindergarten, he would sit at the piano, picking out tunes he had heard on the radio. Realizing their young son showed musical talent far beyond that of the average 4-year-old, his parents found him a teacher, who began Tommy’s formal musical training.
Not long after starting his classical studies, Tommy one day announced to his parents that he’d rather play rock ‘n’ roll and jazz, even though he did enjoy listening to the classics. His dad, a well-respected saxophonist in local jazz circles, was delighted to hear his young son, too, wanted to play jazz. A prominent instructor in the jazz idiom was found, and Tommy happily spent his spare time inside the house, practicing his piano, while his school mates played outside.
At age twelve he formed his own rock ‘n’ roll combo and, with Momma as chaperon, chauffeur and all-around manager, was playing Saturday-night gigs in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
Several years later, the Dodson Family relocated to Southern California, where Tommy graduated from LA High School and formed his second rock ‘n’ roll combo.
One day, during one of those “mother-and-son” moments, she urged him to consider playing the popular jazz tunes of the 30’s and 40’s, saying that this standard repertoire, and not the current-day’s fad of rock ‘n’ roll, would open doors and allow him to see the world. “One day you’ll make your living playing the standards,” she declared prophetically.
Remembering how, in the past, Momma had so often been right, he began listening to and studying the stride-piano style of Fats Waller. He immersed himself in the velvety voice of Nat King Cole, the incredible range and vocal stylings of Sara Vaughn, and, of course, the unparalleled purity of tone and unmatched diction of “The First Lady of Song,” Ella Fizgerald.
The music of those artists, and of many others from that era, largely shaped his musical style and later career. In 1997 Tommy started performing aboard the Crystal Cruises fleet of six-star ocean liners. What began as a short, “trial” stint as an unknown pianist quickly blossomed into four years of traveling the world, including two World Cruises, as the ship’s most popular pianist/singer and cabaret performer.
Tommy Dodson now performs locally in clubs and at private parties in Century City, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Palm Springs, and is often requested for special celebrations in the Bay Area.
Book Online
Life’s busy. So organizing your schedule should be as convenient as possible. That’s why you can make a booking with me anytime you like, right here on my website.