Tommy Fox (Baritone Sax & Clarinet)
He was born in Albany, Oregon to Lillian and Harry Fox and lived nearly his entire life in the local area. Tommy married his wife Geraldine in 1943 in Pensacola, Florida while serving in the Navy during WWII. They raised two children, Sharon and Tom, in their home in Springfield.
Tommy spent 43 years at Southern Pacific Railroad and retired in 1983. Although he enjoyed being a railroad man, his true professional love was music. Tommy formed and performed in several locally known bands in his lifetime, including the Tommy Fox dance band the Generation Gap (that his son Tommy Jr. performed in with him), and lastly The Silver Fox Bayou Band.
He played clarinet and saxophone for several other bands over the years, including the Starlighters and the Oregon Jazz Band, which toured Europe and the United States. One of his favorite events was the Sacramento Jazz Festival, which he performed at for over 10 years. You could see the passion and excitement in his eyes whenever he performed, or the conversation turned to music. It was one of the dearest joys of his life.
Tommy was an adventurer. He was an airplane pilot until late into his 80’s. He loved to tell stories about his water skiing, scuba diving and hunting exploits. For more than 20 years, he (with wife Gerry at his side) operated his own commercial fishing boat (“The Tagshinney”) out of Coos Bay. He was active, spirited, and lived life fully to the very end. (Source: Obituary)
January 26, 2014 – Tommy Fox passed away just two days after his 92nd birthday.
Locations he performed:
1952 – Mckenzie Prom
1953 – Elks Country Club
1957 – the Cascade
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Jan 29, 1967 – Starliters Big Band
- Tommy Fox (baritone sax)
- Rhees (drums)
- Elmer Johnson (trumpet)
- Arnie Martin (piano) teacher at Shasta
- Bill Riley (alto sax) engineer at KVAL
- Clyde Diller (tenor sax) band director of N Eugene HS
- Standafer (trombone)
1968 – Driftwood
1988 – Elks Lodge
2002 – Filbert Festival