Tom Farley: The Herndon-Edwards Band Showcase

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Musician Showcase: The Herndon Edwards Band

I have had a continuous connective tissue with the members of The Herndon Edwards Band for over 40 years. Although my time with the band was relatively short, it provided a foundation for personal and musical friendships that would last throughout my entire musical career.

I had my first professional studio experience with the band in 1978 at Tracks in Silver Springs, MD. The album was “Travelin’ All Over” (1978) - with some songs composed by David Edwards and others by Gerry Herndon. The band also added Donnie Satterwhite and me to the sessions…and to the promotional performances that would follow. I had the greatest amount of respect for the endeavor. They were one of a handful of local bands that were releasing original recordings at the time. It helped me to have the insight and confidence to take my music to the next level, releasing “Songsmyth” (1982) a few years later.

The musical and studio connections would continue with David, Gerry, and Donnie to the present day. Friendships with the other band members - Robert Sweitzer and Steve Fletcher - are still alive and well.

Donnie Satterwhite is featured in his own "Musician Showcase".

David Edwards and I would continue our love for songwriting, performing, and recording. In the 1980’s, we would experiment with basic recordings of our songs at Steve Gallagher’s home studio, collaborate with Vernon Martin in an early version of The Tom Farley Band, and retain a mutual respect for our shared passions. David’s electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and vocal harmonies (with Tania and me) helped to expand the dimensions of my original music.

David moved to Nashville and we drifted apart for many years…until a couple of band reunions and modern recording technology brought us back together again. His electric guitar and vocal contributions to the “By the Fence in the Sun” (2016) album…and the single “Free Me: A Song About Addiction” (2017) were excellent on all accounts. I also produced and recorded one of my all-time favorite David Edwards’ songs – “Say Goodbye to Me” – for the "By the Fence in the Sun" album.

Gerry Herndon has always been about performing. I could walk into any music venue in the world with eyes closed and know if Gerry was on stage. I can pick out Gerry’s guitar style in a New York minute…no matter the band or the genre. I consider that a testament to his genuine approach to each song he plays…especially originals. He remains true to the song when he plays cover tunes, but a little bit of his personal Les Paul stylings always break through for a moment or two.

After the break-up of The Tom Farley – Cam Head Band, Tania and I still wanted to perform and record. But the loss of the long-term musical collaboration we had with the TFCHB was hard to confront. But...at the same time I had been experimenting with programming sampling keyboards with Steve Gallagher for about a year. I knew I could create an exceptional band by programming the rhythm section for the band covers and my original songs. All we needed was a versatile and creative electric guitar player who could also sing lead and background vocals. Gerry was available…and the rest is history.

We had an eight year run as The Tom Farley Band, recorded “The Calm Before the Storm” (1991) album together, and, with the depth of our collective studio and performance experiences, were one of the most popular and successful bands in the region.