Tommy Flint

Tommy Flint (b. Dunmor, Kentucky, April 15, 1934 - d. 2017) – Guitarist and educator. Kentucky-born Flint moved to Indianapolis in 1954 and taught in music stores during the day and gigged in the evenings. His life changed for the better when he drove his wife and five children from Indy to St. Louis in 1971 to make an unannounced visit to see publisher Mel Bay. When Flint tried to interest Bay in his instructional books for guitar, Bay turned him down saying what he really needed was a bluegrass book. Two weeks later, Flint completed Bay’s bluegrass book and went on to produce over 40 publications (books, CDs, and videos) for his company. Representing a myriad of genres—country, bluegrass, dixieland, Gospel, and blues—Flint’s materials are mostly devoted to fingerstyle playing. As a pedagogue, Flint led clinics and workshops around the country and Europe and has presented for the Music Educators National Association. In the performance realm, he appeared as a guitarist with Glenn Campbell, Chet Atkins, Roger Miller, Cher, Ray Charles, Liza Minelli, and Dolly Parton. In Indianapolis, he played with Lattie Moore -- among others -- and had his own gig at The Grove in Beech Grove with his band the Flintstones. In addition, his band was an opening act for Elvis Presley, when the King was just getting started. Because of his achievements, a street in Drakesboro, Kentucky, was named Tommy Flint Avenue.