Posted by For years, before I ever shook his hand, I knew the name Tommy Z and the Hurricanes.
Growing up around Buffalo, New York, it seemed impossible not to. 97 Rock was one of those stations that was deeply connected to the local music scene, and Tommy Z and the Hurricanes always seemed to be performing somewhere. The station supported and promoted him, and long before I ever met Tommy, I had already begun thinking of him as something of a Western New York blues legend.
Little did I know that, years later, our paths would cross in a place neither of us probably expected.
“THE Tommy Z?”
During my years at Seneca Niagara Casino, I spent much of my time surrounded by musicians, touring crews, and the people responsible for making shows happen behind the scenes. I was still relatively new, and there were several people working around the property whom I had yet to meet.
Tommy was one of them.
During his off time, unbeknownst to me at the time, Tommy would occasionally help with load-ins and load-outs at The Bear’s Den. The first show we worked together was Buddy Guy, and I have to admit, I had a bit of a fanboy moment.
Since there were still people around the casino I hadn’t met, Tommy’s introduction caught me a little off guard.
When someone introduced me to “Tommy Z,” I immediately asked:
“THE Tommy Z? As in Tommy Z and the Hurricanes?”
He got a good chuckle out of that.
But yes, he was indeed THE Tommy Z.
Once my brief fanboy moment subsided, we began what has now become a friendship spanning nearly two decades.
That first Buddy Guy show also provided another memorable moment. After soundcheck, Tommy and I happened to run into Buddy Guy himself. A conversation quickly developed, and Buddy was kind enough to oblige us with a selfie. For two guys who appreciated the blues, it certainly wasn’t a bad way to spend part of the afternoon.
A Western New York Blues Legacy
Tommy Z has spent decades building an impressive career as an electric blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and radio host. Over the years, he has become one of the most recognizable figures in the Western New York music scene.
Fellow Buffalo musician Geno McManus recommended Tommy to Harvey Murello of the local blues trio The Hurricanes. Murello brought Tommy aboard as the band’s main guitarist, placing him directly into the world of regional touring and opening for national blues acts.
During his early 1990s tenure with the Hurricanes, Tommy helped establish a popular Saturday matinee residency at Balloons Restaurant and Nightclub in Ellicottville, New York, helping pave the way for national acts to eventually play the venue. His incendiary guitar work also earned him consecutive Top Blues Guitarist honors in Western New York beginning in 1993.
But Tommy’s career would continue far beyond the Buffalo music scene.
Beginning in 2003, he traveled extensively to perform for U.S. troops stationed overseas, bringing his music to bases throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. In 2005, he formed the Tommy Z Band and released his debut album, Universal Love, on South Blossom Records. Produced by the late Nick Blagona, the album remains my personal favorite among Tommy’s releases.
It was also during this period that I was invited over to Tommy’s house to simply hang out. He was having a small get-together, and a few of the band members at the time were also going to be there.
What made that evening particularly special was what happened once everyone settled in.
Rather than a formal performance, the musicians simply gathered around the campfire with their instruments and played unplugged. It was relaxed, informal, and one of those moments that you cannot recreate simply by buying a ticket to a concert.
For me, the highlight of the night was hearing the band perform “Moondance” by Van Morrison while sitting around the campfire.
More than twenty years later, that remains one of my favorite memories of Tommy—not because it was a major concert or some extraordinary industry event, but because it was simply musicians getting together and playing music for the love of it.
More Than a Blues Slinger
As we became friends, I quickly discovered that Tommy was not only a tremendous blues guitarist but also a serious health and fitness enthusiast.
At the time, that was something we had in common.
We would compare workout regimens and talk about the various supplements we were taking. During one of those conversations, we were joined by Trish, one of the casino hosts, who also considered herself an exercise enthusiast.
Tommy mentioned one of the supplements he was taking.
Trish looked him over and replied:
“Yeah, I noticed you looked a little bloated…”
Both Tommy and I immediately found that hilarious.
All these years later, it remains one of those silly conversations we can still laugh about.
Those are the moments that don’t appear in a biography or on an album cover. They are simply part of getting to know someone over time.
From Universal Love to the Lost Photographs
When Tommy released Universal Love, he booked The Bear’s Den for the album’s official CD release show.
By then, however, something else had begun to take hold of me: concert photography.
I had already been bitten by the photography bug and was anxious to photograph live music whenever the opportunity presented itself. When I learned that Tommy would be performing at Thursdays at the Harbor near what is now KeyBank Center, I saw an opportunity to bring my camera.
Tommy was able to help me acquire a photo pass, and I captured what I remember as some terrific images.
Unfortunately, technology had other ideas.
My files were later corrupted, and when I attempted to transfer them to CD, everything was lost.
Every photograph.
For someone who has spent years documenting live music, that is still a painful memory. But perhaps there is something appropriate about it as well. Some of my earliest photographs of Tommy Z are now part of my own personal concert-photography history—images I remember taking but can no longer see.
One More Opportunity
Life eventually took me away from Western New York and brought me to Long Island, but I still keep an eye on Tommy’s schedule whenever I plan a return to my old stomping grounds.
When I discovered that Tommy would be performing during one of those visits, I knew I wanted to bring my camera.
It had been years since I had photographed him, but the opportunity to do so again felt like a continuation of a story that had started many years earlier with a young production employee asking whether he had just been introduced to THE Tommy Z.
This time, the setting was Hogarosa Campgrounds, where Tommy and his band brought an evening of blues to an intimate crowd.
Although I wasn’t able to stay for Tommy’s entire performance, I was able to spend enough time behind the camera—and in front of the stage—to once again appreciate the musicianship that first made me a fan all those years ago.
Tommy’s set drew heavily from the music of the blues artists who helped shape his own sound. Songs associated with legendary artists such as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf filled the evening, giving Tommy and his band an opportunity to stretch out and put their own energy into the music.
And Tommy remains, without question, a stellar musician.
His guitar playing is still expressive, energetic, and rooted in a genuine love for the blues. Watching him perform, I was once again reminded why his name had become so familiar to me long before we ever met.
Twenty Years of History
Looking back, it is difficult to believe that nearly twenty years have passed since that first meeting backstage at Seneca Niagara.
There have been plenty of memorable moments along the way.
A fanboy introduction to one of Buffalo’s most recognizable blues musicians.
An unexpected conversation and selfie with Buddy Guy.
Conversations about workouts and supplements that somehow ended with Trish telling Tommy he looked bloated.
An invitation to Tommy’s house and an unforgettable evening sitting around a campfire listening to musicians play unplugged, with “Moondance” becoming the highlight of the night.
A photo pass, some early concert photographs, and the heartbreak of losing every one of those files.
And now, years later, another opportunity to stand in front of Tommy Z’s stage with a camera in my hands.
The photographs may be different now. The camera is certainly better than the one I carried all those years ago. But there was something familiar about looking through the viewfinder and watching Tommy do what he has done for decades.
Play the blues.
This wasn’t intended to be a review of the entire evening. I wasn’t able to stay for the complete set, and besides, that isn’t really the story I wanted to tell.
This is about history.
It is about friendship.
It is about the musicians and experiences that remain connected to us even as life takes us in different directions.
Although I now live on Long Island, I will always look ahead at Tommy’s schedule when I know I am heading back to Western New York. And whenever our paths cross again, I will be happy to see an old friend, hear some great blues, and, if the opportunity presents itself, stand in front of the stage with my camera.
After all these years, I still admire his musicianship, I appreciate the musicians who have shared the stage with him, and I will always look forward to hearing THE Tommy Z play whenever I get the chance.
Because before I ever knew him as a friend, I knew him as a name I heard on the radio.
And somewhere along the way, that name became part of my own story too.
Long Island Sounds 