Tom Frager

Tom Frager (born 1 July 1977 in Dakar, Senegal) is a French songwriter and performer in the group Gwayav' and is also a ten-time surfing champion in Guadeloupe. He is primarily known for his French hit "Lady Melody", which was number one on the French charts for four weeks.

Tom Frager
Tome Frager (7 August 2012, Festival in Vaux-sur-Mer)
Background information
Born	(1977-07-01) 1 July 1977 (age 47)
Origin	Dakar, Senegal
Genres	Pop, Blues
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	2002–present
Website	www.myspace.com/tomfrager

Biography

Born in Senegal, Tom Frager grew up in Guadeloupe where he became the most successful local surfer of his generation. He moved to metropolitan France in 2000 and lived in Bordeaux.^[1] He joined the team of France and, with his guitar, wrote songs during his travels around the world for competitions.

Tom Frager mixed pop, rock, reggae, ska and jazz with original melodies and broken rhythm. His influences range from reggae by Bob Marley to rock by Sublime and pop soul by Jason Mraz.

Frager co-wrote with other artists, like Tom Curren and Keziah Jones' guitarist Amen Viana. He was on stage alongside Alpha Blondy, Toots & the Maytals, Patrice, Groundation, Sizzla, Sublime Tribute, the People of the Grass^[2] and performed on major festivals such as French Francofolies of La Rochelle or the Extravagance of Biarritz. Tom Frager & Gwayav' gave almost 400 concerts in a period of seven years.

Frager achieved national notability in September 2009 with his song "Lady Melody", which entered the French singles chart at number one and stayed there for four weeks.^[3] The song was also number-one on the French digital chart. After the success of this first single from the album Better Days, a new single, "Give Me That Love", was released. The album had a peak at number five in August 2009.^[4]

Gwayav'

In 2002, he formed the group Gwayav' with four of his friends, musicians and surfers. Their debut album Bloom Inside sold nearly 5,000 copies.

Members

• Tom Frager: vocals, guitar
• Henry Daurel: guitar
• Janine Terhoff: chorus
• Carolina Carmona: chorus
• Stephane Garcia Tudela: drum kit
• Jerome Gron: piano
• Lionel Dubourdieu: bass
• Marc Closier: saxophone
• Thomas Renwick: guitar
• Fabrice Lefèvre: sound engineer

Discography

Albums

Tom Frager and Gwayav'

Year	Album	Peak chart positions
		FR	FR (DD)1	BEL (WA)	SWI
2006	Bloom Inside	-	-	-	-
2009	Better Days[5][6]	5	19	-	-
2013	Carnet de route	82	-	-	-

Singles

Tom Frager and Gwayav'

Year	Single	Peak chart positions				Album
		FR	FR (DD)1	BEL (WA)	SWI
2009	"Lady Melody"[7][8] (Tom Frager & Gwayav')	1	1	40	36	Better Days
2010	"Give Me That Love"[9] (Tom Frager & Gwayav')	13	37	—	—
	"Home"	14	—	—	—

¹ Digital Downloads

References

1. Mélanie Pontet (27 June 2009). "Tom Frager, melody surfeur" (in French). Sportweek. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
2. Thierry Cadet (13 May 2009). "Tom Frager & Gwayav' pourraient surprendre" (in French). Chartsinfrance. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
3. ""Lady Melody", French Singles Chart". Lescharts. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
4. "Better Days, French Singles Chart". Lescharts. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
5. "Tom Frager : Better Days". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
6. "French Digital Albums Chart – 15 August 2009". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
7. "Tom Frager & Gwayav' – Lady Melody". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
8. "French Digital Singles Chart – 25 April 2009". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
9. "French Digital Singles Chart – 16 January 2010". Lescharts. Retrieved 23 January 2010.

External links

• (in French) Official site
• (in French) Unofficial fan club