Tom Bradshaw

Thomas Lewis Bradshaw (born February 14, 1935) is an American steel guitarist, journalist, music historian and businessman and who is known for his contributions to the pedagogy of steel guitar. He is a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. Bradshaw is noted for creating what is now an international standard for describing how a steel guitar is configured, and coined the name "copedent" to describe it. NPR music writer Jesse Jarnow called Bradshaw "perhaps the world's leading authority on the instrument". Bradshaw played and repaired steel guitars and sold parts and accessories for the instruments for nearly a half-century.

Early life Bradshaw was born in Skiatook, Oklahoma in 1935. The family moved to Bakersfield, California, and when Bradshaw was in the seventh grade, a salesman from the Oahu Music Company came to his door, selling a series of steel guitar lessons. During this time he spent about 6 years as a columnist for Guitar Player Magazine, publishing many interviews with noted steel guitarists of the era.