BORN IN HALIFAX , NOVA SCOTIA , OCT 4 ,1967

TOM STARTED PLAYING DRUMS, IN 1980, TO ALBUMS THAT HIS SISTER HAD AROUND THE HOUSE : BILLY JOEL "GLASS HOUSES", DEEP PURPLE "MACHINE HEAD"AND A 50'S & 60'S ROCK'N'ROLL REVIVAL COLLECTION, WHICH INCLUDED THE DRUMMING SMASH HIT "WIPE OUT"

TOM'S FIRST DRUM KIT WAS A FOUR PIECE "SILVERTONE "(BLUE WITH SILVER SPARKLES) BOUGHT BY HIS FATHER FOR TOM'S MOTHER ! NEEDLESS TO SAY, SHE DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO PLAY THEM, BECAUSE HER SON WAS GLUED TO THEM !

TOM COMES FROM A MUSICAL FAMILY. HIS MOTHER NOT ONLY EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE DRUMS BUT ALSO PLAYS THE PIANO, ACCORDIAN AND SINGS .TOM'S FATHER PLAYS THE GUITAR AND SINGS AS DOES ONE OF TOM'S SISTERS. TOM'S OTHER SISTER, LOUANNE IS AN ACCOMPLISHED SINGER/SONGWRITER IN THE LOCAL AREA AND HAS HAD HER OWN MATERIAL RECORDED WITH TRADITIONAL EAST COAST /FOLK BANDS.

TOM'S ASSOCIATION WITH THE BOURBON'S GOES BACK TO 1993, WHILE HE WAS LIVING IN TORONTO, PLAYING IN A BAND WITH SINGER /SONGWRITER JEREMY ROBINSON. JEREMY'S PART-TIME BASS PLAYER WAS BOURBON, JASON MERCER . TOM AND JASON HIT IT OFF, AND AFTER TOM MOVED BACK TO HALIFAX , HE AND JASON KEPT IN TOUCH OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF. TOM FINALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO AUDITION FOR THE BOURBON'S IN MARCH 1995. THE AUDITION WAS A SUCCESS AND TOM JOINED THE BAND. HIS FIRST GIG WITH THE BAND WAS AT NIGHTENGALES IN NEW YORK CITY, MAY 21,1995.

A FEW MONTHS BEFORE TOM JOINED THE BTC, HE WAS LIVING IN OTTAWA PLAYING FOR THE SENSATIONAL BLUES GUITARIST TOND D. THE BTC AUDITION WAS ARRANGED JUST BEFORE TOM LEFT FOR A THREE WEEK EUROPEAN TOUR WITH TONY D, WHICH INCLUDED CLUB DATES, BLUES FESTIVALS AND LIVE RADIO SHOWS (BBC & RADIO ONE) IN HOLLAND , BELGIUM AND ENGLAND.

BEFORE TOM MOVED TO OTTAWA TO PLAY WITH TONY D , HE PLAYED WITH A POP / ROCK BAND CALLED FIRE ROOSTER IN HALIFAX. TOM TOURED ALL OVER THE MARITIMES WITH THIS BAND IN SUPPORT OF THEIR SELF-TITLED INDEPENDENT RELEASE. THE BAND WAS A LONG ESTABLISHED EAST COAST ACT WHICH HAD BEEN THROUGH A FEW NAME CHANGES OVER THE YEARS. (AKA: 'BATS IN THE BELFRY', AND 'THE TREES'). ALTHOUGH TOM DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE ALBUM, HE DOES APPEAR IN TWO VIDEO'S FROM THE ALBUM; 'RED MOON' AND 'RIVER OF TEARS'."RIVER OF TEARS" RECEIVED MAXIMUM PLAY ON THE NEW COUNTRY NETWORK (NCN) AND WAS FEATURED ON MUCHMUSIC. TOM ALSO PLAYED WITH FIRE ROOSTER AT THE 1994 EAST COAST MUSIC AWARDS IN ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND.

NO STRANGER TO THE STUDIO, TOM HAS BEEN RECORDING SINCE HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. HE SPENT MANY HOURS AT HOME WITH HIS 4-TRACK AND WAS RECORDING IN A 24-TRACK STUDIO AT THE AGE OF 16, WHEN HIS HIGH SCHOOL BIG BAND WENT INTO SOLAR STUDIO, IN HALIFAX, FOR AN AFTERNOON SESSION.

SOME OF TOM'S MOST RECENT RECORDING'S INCLUDE A GROUP FROM HALIFAX CALLED RAZZMATAZZ FOR KIDS, ON WHICH TOM SHARES DRUMMING DUTIES WITH TOM ROACH (BARRA MACNEILS , RAWLINS CROSS ).TOM BONA ALSO RECORDED A FEW TRACKS FOR A FOLK /POP GROUP CALLED GOWAN BRAE (WITH DANIEL HEIKALO ON BASS ) BOTH OF THESE RECORDINGS WERE DONE AT SOUND MARKET STUDIO IN HALIFAX UNDER THE DIRECTION OF TERRY PULLIUM. AFTER THESE SESSIONS TERRY INVITED TOM TO BE THE 'HOUSE DRUMMER ' FOR UPCOMING SESSIONS IN HIS STUDIO.

AS WELL AS RECORDING WITH RAZZMATAZZ FOR KIDS ,TOM ALSO APPEARED WITH THEM AT THE 1995 EAST COAST MUSIC AWARDS, IN SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA.

ANOTHER RECORDING TOM COMPLETED WAS A FULL LENGTH DEMO FOR JEREMY ROBINSON IN TORONTO SEPTEMBER 1993 WITH JASON MERCER ON BASS , MISHA PACKLIN ON KEYBOARDS AND JEREMY ON GUITAR AND VOCALS. HOWEVER , THE RECORDING WAS NEVER RELEASED.

TOM APPEARED WITH JEREMY ROBINSON AT THE 1993 EAST COAST MUSIC AWARDS IN HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA. TOM ALSO APPEARS IN JEREMY'S "NEED MY HELP" VIDEO FROM THE ALBUM "OPEN SKY", RELEASED IN 1993 ON ATLANTICA MUSIC.

FROM 1991 TO 1993 TOM WAS IN HIS OWN HALIFAX BAND (CO-FOUNDED WITH TODD HARRIE , BASS PLAYER FOR LENNIE GALLANT) CALLED SIMON TELL. THIS SOUL POP GROOVE ROCK BAND ALSO RECORDED A FEW DEMO'S, NONE OF WHICH WERE EVER RELEASED, BUT THE BAND PROVIDED AN OUTLET FOR TOM'S SONGWRITING ABILITIES.

PREVIOUS TO 1991 TOM PLAYED IN VARIOUS 'COVER ' BANDS : TOP FORTY, COUNTRY, R&B, DIXIELAND, ROCK'N'ROLL AND JAZZ.

TOM ATTENDED SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY IN ANTIGONISH, N.S., IN 1989 TO STUDY JAZZ PERCUSSION (DRUM KIT) AND HE PLAYED DRUMS FROM GRADE NINE TO GRADE TWELEVE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL BAND SYSTEM (BIG BAND, DIXIELAND, JAZZ ENSEMBLE, AND 50'S & 60'S ROCK'N'ROLL.).

SOME OF TOM'S DRUMMING INFLUENCES INCLUDE ; JEFF POCARO (TOTO), VINNIE COLAIUTA (STING), MANU KATCHE (PETER GABRIEL), PHIL GOULD (LEVEL42), PAT MASTELOTTO(MR.MISTER ,KING CRIMSON), BRIAN MACLEOD(TOY MATINEE, SHERYL CROW),& KENNY ARONOFF (JOHN MELLENCAMP).

SOME OF TOM'S MUSICAL INFLUENCES ARE ; TOTO, STEELY DAN, STING, MR.MISTER, BOURGEOIS TAGG,DAVID & DAVID, TOAD THE WET SPROCKET, RHEOSTATICS, TEARS FOR FEARS, TOY MATINEE, LEVEL 42, UZEB, KIM MITCHELL, & SOUNDGARDEN .

BEFORE PURSUING DRUMMING FULL TIME ,IN MARCH 1995, TOM WAS EMPLOYED AT RECORD RETAIL FOR TEN YEARS('85-95). HE WAS THE EAST COAST / INDEPENDENT MUSIC BUYER AT SAM THE RECORD MAN, BARRINGTON ST., HALIFAX FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS ('93-95).