Tom Maxwell

Thomas Edward Maxwell (born September 19, 1965) is an American songwriter, singer, and musician most known for being a member of the swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, for which he wrote the single "Hell" from the 1996 platinum-certified album Hot.

Early life Thomas Edward Maxwell was born September 19, 1965, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. His parents are Joseph Maxwell and Nancy (née Miller) Maxwell. In 1972, his family moved to Burnsville, North Carolina.

In elementary school, Maxwell began playing alto sax. When he was fourteen, he taught himself to play the drums. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when he was seventeen. While there, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall and started his first band, Teasing the Korean, with classmate John Ensslin. In 1990, Teasing the Korean became What Peggy Wants, and they were signed to a local Chapel Hill label, Moist/Baited Breath. In December 1993, What Peggy Wants broke up.

During his time in What Peggy Wants, Maxwell befriended Metal Flake Mother drummer Jimbo Mathus. In 1992, until Metal Flake Mother disbanded, Mathus became lead guitarist and Maxwell briefly joined as the band's drummer.

Career Squirrel Nut Zippers In 1993, Mathus formed the neo-swing, pre-war jazz revival group Squirrel Nut Zippers with Katharine Whalen, Ken Mosher, Don Raleigh, and Chris Phillips, They played a couple of local shows and recorded a three-track EP on Merge Records. In January 1994, Maxwell was asked to join the band. but the band breached the settlement and the two were only awarded a fraction of the money. This led to an irreparable relationship between Maxwell/Mosher and Mathus/Whalen.

In late December 2015, Maxwell published a piece on Medium explaining why he was not participating in the Squirrel Nut Zippers' 2016 tour. The band plans to reissue Hot for its 20-year anniversary; one-third of the record's material was written by Maxwell and Mosher, including both singles which were penned by Maxwell.

Solo musician In 1999, Maxwell recorded his first solo album, Samsara, at Kingsway Studios. He toured for the record with Mosher and Phillips, along with Ben Folds Five bassist Robert Sledge. Because of the Squirrel Nut Zippers legal turmoil and the birth of his first child, Maxwell stopped touring from 2000 until 2015.

Writing Maxwell is a freelance writer who has contributed to Al Jazeera America, Slate, Oxford American, Salon, Southern Cultures, and Bitter Southerner. In 2014, Maxwell wrote a memoir, Hell – My Life In the Squirrel Nut Zippers, about his experience in the band, his time on the road, and the recording of the band's albums. His book, A Really Strange and Wonderful Time: The Chapel Hill Music Scene: 1989–1999, was released in April 2024.

Honors Maxwell was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Personal life In 2006, just days after he and his first wife separated, Maxwell's three-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. They rented the former plantation home, which had once belonged to tobacco industrialist and white supremacist Julian Carr, but broke their lease due to what they reported were various hauntings.