Tales of an Itinerant Musician

Thomas W. Bailey Jr., a native of the South Carolina Lowcountry, has been performing continuously in the area since 1975. Although Charleston is his performance venue of choice, he has made guest appearances in New York City, San Antonio, Texas, Charlotte, North Carolina, Asheville, North Carolina, St. Augustine, Florida, Las Vegas, Nevada, and London, England. Mr. Bailey has performed for three South Carolina governors and has appeared on stage with Hollywood celebrities Gary Collins and Mary Ann Mobley. In addition to his work as a pianist, he maintains an active career as a classical organist. He performed solo organ recitals for seven consecutive years (1986-1992) at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, and has given numerous recitals under the auspices of The American Guild of Organists. Currently, he performs at the piano weekly at the Francis Marion Hotel, the Charleston Place Belmond Hotel, and the Renaissance Charleston Historic District Hotel, all in downtown Charleston. Additionally, he is the organist and Director of Music at St. Theresa the Little Flower Catholic Church in Summerville, South Carolina, where he oversees the entire music program and is the founder and coordinator of the Third Sunday at Three concert series. He is retired from the parochial school system, having taught general music classes to kindergarten through fifth grade for twenty-five years. On top of a heavy performance schedule, he also teaches private piano and organ lessons in his home studio and is the coordinator for the Tuesday Noon Concert Series at St. Luke's Chapel on the campus of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.