You’ve probably heard by now that Tommy (Stauch) Vann, the man who epitomized Baltimore bands and club entertainment in the 1960s and beyond, died January 21, 2022 of a kidney ailment at the age of 83.
His first major Baltimore band, “Tommy Vann & the Echoes,” was the house band at Hollywood Park in the mid-1960s, where they were managed by Park owner George Mihalos. They packed the place, and gained a following that led them to recording and other opportunities.
Tommy Vann was a good singer and band leader, and he had put together a unique group of talented musicians featuring solid musicianship, good vocal harmony, lots of stage personality (with a nod to George “Doc” Docterman), and a handsome front man with a sweet voice in Vann. Part of the uniqueness of their sound was the presence of Mickey Reed on vibraphone, an instrument more commonly associated with jazz. Another unique aspect of the band was an outstanding drummer named Walt Caldwell, at a time when multi-racial bands were not common in Baltimore.
Reed’s tragic death in a car accident in the ‘60s really shook the band. Not long after that fatal accident the band and Vann had a falling out and parted ways. The band remained together and struck out on their own as “and the Echoes.”
Tommy, with his talent and reputation, put together another band of exceptional musicians to form “Tommy Vann & the Professionals“. I saw them at Club Venus the night guitarist Dale Coleman showed off his new electric 12-string in a scintillating cover of The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
For many of us of a certain age, Tommy Vann’s passing marks the end of an era; a golden era of music, entertainment, and night life that we’ve been remembering, exploring, and celebrating here together for the past 20 years.
Time marches on but memories stay put, at a given place and time. For me the Tommy Vann place was Hollywood Park, and the time was whatever night you were there to hear him sing.
TOO YOUNG
Farewell Mr. Vann.
B'Jam 
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