@Mako001: This is an error on my part -- I transposed the 2nd and 3rd AfDs. As far as I can tell, what happened at the third AfD was that the content from the previous (deleted) article was copy-pasted into a new page, i.e. the sources from this draft were never evaluated in a deletion process. At any rate, I have basically no interest in resubmitting this draft for mainspace; the only reason I wrote it in the first place was to become familiar with the AfC process (and see if it really was as bad as people claim in policy discussions). jp×g 12:25, 25 October 2022 (UTC)
Tom Brier | |
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![]() Brier in 2013 | |
Background information | |
Born | Oakdale, California | October 3, 1971
Genres | Ragtime |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Years active | 1985–2016 |
Tom Brier (born October 1971) is an american ragtime pianist and composer.
Tom Brier was born in October 1971 in Oakdale, California, an agricultural society in the Central Valley south of Sacramento.[1] When Brier was four, his parents bought him a player piano, and the next year he began taking piano lessons with a local teacher.[1] By the age of eleven, he had composed over two dozen pieces.[1]
After graduating from Oakdale High School,[2] Brier studied computer science at California State University in Turlock, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1993 and working subsequently as a computer programmer.[1]
In 1985, Brier woke the interest of Larry Applegate, president of the Sacramento Ragtime Association. Brier was invited to perform at association meetings. Brier's interpretations of classics of ragtime music were described as aggressive and attracted the attention of the public.[1] He was particularly noted for his in-depth knowledge of various genres of early ragtime music.[1] By 1988, he was a "prolific composer"[3] and in 1990 he had composed 45 rags;[4] by 2002, he was mentioned as one of "the West's top ragtime pianists" by the Desert Sun.[5]
Brier has given concerts across the United States, ranging from California (in Santa Cruz,[6]Sacramento,[7] Fresno,[8] and Fullerton[9]) to Missouri[10] and Wisconsin.[11] He has been referred to as "The Machine"[12] for his energetic playing style, as well as "the Mozart of Ragtime".[13]
By 2005, Brier had composed over 150 pieces;[14][1] by 2009, he had composed over 200, and was described by the Fresno Bee as "a long-standing Fresno Flats favorite" who brought "energy, skill, endurance, and high musicality to his every performance".[13] In the 21st century, he became known on websites like YouTube for his "crazy-quick" playing.[15][16]
In 2023, Brier received the lifetime achievement award by the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Federation.[17]
While Brier played at ragtime festivals as late as May 2016,[18] and was a featured pianist at the June 2016 Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival,[10] in August of that year he was injured severely in a debilitating car accident.[19] In December 2020, the Syncopated Times said that "we all wish Tom well in his long recovery".[19]
Tom Brier has released six albums, one with Nan Bostick.[1][20]