Thomas Edward Maxwell (born September 19, 1965) is an American songwriter, singer, and musician. Most notably, Maxwell is the former lead singer of the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers. He wrote the single "Hell" from the 1996 platinum-certified album Hot.
In elementary school, Maxwell began playing alto sax. When he was fourteen, he taught himself to play the drums. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when he was seventeen. While there, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall and started his first band, Teasing the Korean, with classmate John Ensslin. In 1990, Teasing the Korean became What Peggy Wants, and they were signed to a local Chapel Hill label, Moist/Baited Breath. In December 1993, What Peggy Wants broke up.[2]
During his time in What Peggy Wants, Maxwell befriended Metal Flake Mother drummer Jimbo Mathus. In 1992, until Metal Flake Mother disbanded, Mathus became lead guitarist and Maxwell briefly joined as the band's drummer.[3]
Career
Squirrel Nut Zippers
In 1993, Mathus formed the neo-swing, pre-war jazz revival group Squirrel Nut Zippers with Katharine Whalen, Ken Mosher, Don Raleigh, and Chris Phillips, They played a couple of local shows and recorded a three-track EP on Merge Records. In January 1994, Maxwell was asked to join the band.[3]
In October 1995, the Sqirrel Nut Zippers went to New Orleans to record its Hot album at Kingsway Studios with producer Mike Napolitano. They recorded Hot in six days, and the record was released in June 1996. The record went certified gold in May 1997, and by September of that year it was RIAA certified platinum, selling over 1.3 million copies. Maxwell's song "Hell", a single tone calypso, charted at No. 13 on Billboard Hot 100.
In 1999, Maxwell and Mosher left the band,[4] due to a management agreement that the band had signed without their knowledge. The band refused to pay royalties to either of them, which led to a five-year legal battle. They settled out of court for $155,000,[5] but the band breached the settlement and the two were only awarded a fraction of the money. This led to an irreparable relationship between Maxwell/Mosher and Mathus/Whalen.
In late December 2015, Maxwell published a piece on Medium explaining why he was not partiipating in the Squirrel Nut Zipper's 2016 tour.[6] The band plans to reissue Hot for its 20-year anniversary; one-third of the record's material was written by Maxwell and Mosher, including both singles which were penned by Maxwell.[7]
Solo musician
In 1999, Maxwell recorded his first solo album, Samsara, at Kingsway Studios. He toured for the record with Mosher and Phillips, along with Ben Folds Five bassist Robert Sledge.[4] Because of the Squirrel Nut Zippers legal turmoil and the birth of his first child, Maxwell stopped touring from 2000 until 2015.[8]
For several years, Maxwell worked with Mosher, contributing songs and scores for films and television, including season 1 of Lovespring International and the animated film Happily N'ever After.
Maxwell left music in 2006 to focus on his son's health. in 2009, Maxwell returned to music and released the first studio album Kingdom Come, in 2011. In 2014, Maxwell released his first record with The Minor Drag, Tom Maxwell & The Minor Drag, produced by Napolitano.[8]
Writing
Maxwell is a freelance writer who has contributed to Al Jazeera America, Slate, Oxford American, Salon, Southern Cultures, and Bitter Southerner.[9] In 2014, Maxwell wrote a memoir, Hell – My Life In the Squirrel Nut Zippers, about his experience in the band, his time on the road, and the recording of the band's albums. His book, A Really Strange and Wonderful Time: The Chapel Hill Music Scene: 1989–1999, was released in April 2024.[10]
In 2006, just days after he and his first wife separated, Maxwell's three-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia.[5] Maxwell retreated from his musical career and focused on shepherding his son through a three-and-a-half-year treatment. His son made a full recovery.
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