With his signature red sunburst Gibson Dove guitar and porkpie hat, Tom Mitchell has been a fixture of the Bay Area music scene for as long as I can remember. His musical life spans over 80 years since he first tuned in to the Grand Ole Opry radio shows of the 1920's from his family's farm in rural Missouri. Tom learned to play guitar from his older brothers before his tiny hands could fit around the neck, and he has been singing gospel and country songs since he could talk. At the age of 87, Tom’s repertoire includes many hundreds of songs. Tom studied music and worked as a music teacher as a young man. Although he was classically trained and sufficiently admonished for his hillbilly ways, Tom always remained true to his rural roots and maintained a lifelong love of early country, bluegrass, and Southern gospel music. When Tom moved to California in the 1980's, he became an active member of the bluegrass and country music scene.  Many of Tom’s friends contributed to the making of this album and I, for one, must say it has been a great honor to be among them. Susannah January, 2012