Tom Shinness with Phil Keaggy and Tony Gerber (LIVE)
On November 30, 2016, we gathered at Jack and Jameson’s Smokehouse in Franklin,TN for a birthday celebration show for multi-instrumentalist, Tom Shinness. This would be Tom's final public performance before he left this world on February 17, 2017; he was 56 years old. Due to the rapid nature of his sudden illness, Tom knew this was probably going to be his last performance ... although we were all praying for healing and his complete recovery ... so he wanted to have a big birthday party and invite some of his favorite musician friends — enter Phil Keaggy and Tony Gerber.
This improvised performance is based on an "asian" sounding theme written by Phil Keaggy. This particular show was my first time to actually play with Phil as well as Tony... although I had performed and toured with Tom quite frequently since 2002. Video footage courtesy of David Allen Williams.
Phil Keaggy is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 50 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. Phil is a seven-time recipient of the GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year, and was twice nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album. He has frequently been listed as one of the world's top-three "finger-style", as well as "finger-picking", guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers' polls.