Jimmy R. Tomlinson

Jimmy R. Tomlinson was born in Lubbock, Texas and grew up on a ranch in Hobbs, NM.

As a child he was inspired by Roy Rogers and Gene Autry thus causing him to become interested in cowboy music. He eventually started listening to western swing and loved the music of Hank Thompson, Bob Wills and Ray Price and followed the styling’s ofEldon Shamblin and Merle Travis. After high school he started playing fiddle along withthe guitar and eventually switched to pedal steel. When he completed radio school at Elkins School of Radio in Dallas, he landed jobs as a disc jockey in Texas and NewMexico.

Jimmy played behind many of his idols such as Tex Ritter, Hank Thompson,Ray Price, Ferlin Huskey, Faron Young and Johnny Gimble. Jimmy is one of the co-founders of the Las Cruces based western swing band, The Desperados. In 2004the Academy Of Western Artists awarded the band western swing group of the yearin Fort Worth, Texas. Jimmy Tomlinson was inducted as a western swing music hero by the Cowtown Society Of Western Music in Fort Worth, Texas in 2005.

The Desperados have produced seven CD's in the 34 years of the bands existence. Jimmy has also produced several albums for new artists. He raises Longhorn cattle in Hatch, New Mexico.