He was raised by a hardworking middle-class family and grew up listening to his parent’s old country, folk and rock records. Although he never picked up an instrument until after high school, he was around music from an early age. Tom learned to play guitar and penned his first songs while attending college at West Virginia University. 

After graduating, he lived in the Washington D.C. area and worked on Capitol Hill as a lobbyist. During that time, Tom began performing at local and regional venues. He struggled to balance a 9 to 5 job with his passion for writing and performing music. Eventually, he relocated to Nashville, TN and become a full-time singer and songwriter. 

While in Nashville, Tom fell into favor with a contingent of Texas based songwriters, leading to regular co-writes with major players in the Red Dirt music scene. A number of those artists brought Tom on the road as an opening act. 

As an artist, Tom’s songs are derived from personal experiences and everyday blue-collar life. With influences ranging from Classic and 90’s Rock to Red Dirt and Americana, his sound has been described as, “Country Roots Rock.” 

He is a seasoned performer that has played over 1,000 shows at venues across the country. His trademark warm, gritty and soulful voice truly conveys emotion and really connects him with an audience. 

Tom’s debut release, Bad for You EP (2017) features the song “Deserve” which he wrote and performed with Top 40 Country artist, Luke Combs. His highly anticipated follow-up and debut full-length album, “Night Owl,” is slated for a mid-2021 release. To date, O’Connor’s music has been streamed nearly 6 million times.