Tom Portman is a multi instrumentalist, songwriter, recording artist and composer based in the west of Ireland. He specializes in guitar, Dobro®, lap steel and other strings. With 6 solo albums to his name, Portman has been a consistent eclectic and prolific force in Irish music. His work focuses on our relationships to each other and the natural world; exploring themes of place, mythology, the cycles of life and death and the emotional landscape of life. There’s a wide range to his work – from the Blues, Irish melodies, swing, rag time, classical, Indian ragas to good old rock n roll. His broad skill set along with an eclectic set of musical influences places him in a unique position as a performer composer and recording artist.
Recently signed to Dutch Sister labels OOB Records and Friendly Folk Records, Tom’s musicianship is gaining renown both in Ireland and abroad for his one man shows and performances with a plethora of acts. Since 2015 he has been touring with Grammy nominated Louisiana slide player Dege Legg, whose music featured in Tarantino’s film ‘Django Unchained’.
Appreciated by many artists, he’s supported the likes of Eric Bibb and Preston Reed. A long list of album collaborations offers a testament to his versatility, as does his Dobro playing on International feature film animation ‘The Ugly Duckling and Me”.
In 2019 Tom became an endorsed Duesenburg Artist and received the Music Network Instrument Bursary towards a Duesenburg guitars ‘Fairytale’ Lap Steel.