Tommy Detamore is dead at 70 after country music career as in-demand pedal steel guitarist and producer
Tommy Detamore, a respected country music star, guitarist and producer, has died at 70.
Detamore’s wife, Sandra, revealed that he had died on Wednesday in a Facebook post announcing her loss.
‘Tommy was and will always be remembered as a respected musician, producer, collaborator, mentor, and creative force in Country Music,’ she wrote.
‘Not to mention the love of my life,’ Sandra added.
‘His work has and will always leave a lasting mark in the country music community,’ she continued, adding that Detamore’s musical gifts and skills as a producer had helped to ‘shape the sound of country music we hear today.’
Detamore’s wife did not reveal his cause of death in her post.
Tommy Detamore, a respected country music star, guitarist and producer died on Wednesday at 70, his wife, Sandra, revealed in a Facebook post on Thursday
‘Tommy was and will always be remembered as a respected musician, producer, collaborator, mentor, and creative force in Country Music,’ she wrote, adding, ‘Not to mention the love of my life’; Tommy Detamore is pictured with his wife, Sandra
Detamore was an acclaimed pedal steel guitarist and in-demand sideman, but later in his career he increasingly focused on producing other artists; the late musician is pictured playing a pedal steel guitar
His wife went on to list ‘just a few’ of the affectionate nicknames Detamore – who was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame – had received throughout his career, including Dr. Tom, Sir Punchalot, Drama Papa and The Man.
Sandra went on to recall a happier recent time, when she and her husband had been celebrating a recent recording he produced that had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), indicating that the release had sold one million album equivalent units.
Detamore’s wife went on to write that she and her son, Thomas Detamore, were taking ‘comfort in knowing he is at peace and is now with his family and that his music will live on and will be cherished forever.’
She asked for her followers and Detamore’s fans to pray for her family and the staff of the children’s drama summer-camp program, Drama Kids, which Sandra founded, while her and Detamore’s son Thomas serves as the program’s assistant director.
‘I want to make sure he is celebrated with family and friends and the community,’ she said of her late husband. ‘This way we can all say our goodbyes, since this was so sudden.’
Although Detamore was based in Texas and spent much of his career in the state, he got his start in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he grew up and started playing guitar, according to SavingCountryMusic.com.
After establishing himself as a traditional guitarist, Detamore expanded into playing the pedal steel guitar, which he studied under Buddy Charleton.
In 1981, he rose to a new level of prominence when he began playing steel guitar in Darrell McCall’s band.
Detamore’s wife went on to write that she and her son, Thomas Detamore, were taking ‘comfort in knowing he is at peace and is now with his family and that his music will live on and will be cherished forever’
Although Detamore was based in Texas and spent much of his career in the state, he got his start in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he grew up and started playing guitar, according to SavingCountryMusic.com
After establishing himself as a traditional guitarist, Detamore expanded into playing the pedal steel guitar, where he studied under Buddy Charleton. In 1981, he rose to a new level of prominence when he began playing steel guitar in Darrell McCall’s band; pictured with George H. W. Bush
Detamore (pictured with his wife, Sandra) was a popular touring and studio musician on the steel guitar, but after opening his Cherry Ridge Studio in Floresville, Texas, in 1991, he increasingly worked as an engineer and producer to shape other artists’ recordings
In 1982, he jumped ship and joined Moe Bandy’s band as a steel guitar player for the next seven years, which included high-profile performances at the Grand Ole Opry, Hee-Haw and Nashville Now.
Detamore went on to play with other country music legends, including Clay Baker, Johnny Bush and Ronnie Milsap, according to SavingCountryMusic.com.
A major change in his career came in 1991, when Detamore opened the doors of his Cherry Ridge Studio in Floresville, Texas.
The recording space signaled a new phase in which he increasingly worked as an engineer and producer to shape the music of other artists.