Thomas Dale Rapp (March 8, 1947 – February 11, 2018) was an American singer and songwriter who led Pearls Before Swine, an influential psychedelic folk rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Described as having "a slight lisp, gentle voice and apocalyptic vision", he also released four albums under his own name. He later practiced as a lawyer.

Early life

Tom Rapp was born in Bottineau, North Dakota. His parents, Dale and Eileen Rapp, were both school teachers, and his father became a heavy drinker often absent from their home. He had two sisters.

When Rapp was a young child the family moved to Minnesota, where at the age of six he was given a guitar. A neighbour who was a country and western musician taught Rapp some chords, and he also learned to play the ukulele. He began writing songs, and (according to a local newspaper cutting kept by his mother) once came third in a talent cont…Read more on Wikipedia