Tom Jans

Tom Jans (1948 - 1984) was a folk musician from San Luis Obispo, California. He is perhaps best known for his song "Loving Arms", which has been performed and recorded by dozens of artists and bands, including Elvis Presley, Dixie Chicks, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Etta James and The Beautiful South.

Jans toured extensively with Mimi Fariña -- Joan Baez's sister -- and released an excellent duo album with Farina in 1971 entitled "Take Heart." After splitting with Farina in 1972, Jans recorded three records as a solo artist, the best of which was a self-titled release for A&M in 1973, which included his version of "Loving Arms." His other albums were "The Eyes of An Only Child" and "Dark Blonde", both recorded for Columbia in the mid Seventies, which took his music in a more rock-oriented direction. When the Columbia releases failed to find an audience, his career lost momentum and although Jans continued to perform, he issued no recordings until 1982's "Champion," an album that few have heard and remains so obscure that it remains difficult to confirm that it was released.

Jans suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident in 1983; ironically, Richard Farina, Mimi's husband and singing partner, had died in a motorcycle accident in 1966. Jans died of a drug overdose in 1984. Sadly, he has been largely forgotten as both a songwriter and performer. Most of his recordings have not been reissued on CD in the United States and are therefore hard to find except in their original LP releases.

Tom Waits has dedicated a song to Tom Jans called "Whistle Down The Wind (For Tom Jans)" featured on "Bone Machine".

External links

* [http://www.tomjans.com Tom Jans - American Songwriter]