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For over thirty years Tom Irwin has been taking life experiences, turning them into songs, and giving those songs life through performances and recordings. The 51 year-old singer-songwriter opened for Willie Nelson & Family at the 2001 Illinois State Fair Grandstand and has performed with many other popular artists. Readers of Illinois Times voted him Best of Springfield for musician (2007), solo musician (2004), male musician (2002), male vocalist (2001), and folk band (1994 & 1999).

On August 10, 1893, Harry Glen Ludlam, a 16 year old boy living on a farm in Sangamon County, a few miles west of Springfield, Illinois began daily entries in his diary. He continued until February 17, 1894, the day before his family left to head west. Tom discovered the diary well over a hundred years later tucked into a corner of the old pie-tin cabinet in the front hall of his farmhouse. Harry's world again came to life through his daily, personal recollections.

Tom felt inspired to write these experiences into songs. He incorporated them into his masters project at the University of Illinois Springfield and started a kickstarter page to fund the production of the project. He will be performing this work at the show.

Irwin works around 200 dates a year in diverse venues and various areas. He has released ten full-length recordings of original songs selling thousands of copies of his music. Carry Me Home, released in October of 2007 on Clyded Records was produced by Gary Gordon with an all acoustic lineup of mandolin, dobro, fiddle, and standup bass. The host of Songwriters Circle, a weekly gathering of central Illinois tunesmiths, for over 10 years, Irwin also has performed nearly every Sunday for over 15 years at the Brewhaus in downtown Springfield, Illinois.