Biography

T.W. Sample, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, began playing the piano, with the guidance of Ms. Elsa Harris and the Harris House of Gospel in Chicago, Ill. After high school, T.W. moved to Wisconsin and played for a Pentecostal church, and subsequently began learning music theory in college. T.W. later transferred to The Ohio State University, where he met organist and pianist Hank Marr. Hank helped T.W. to understand the literature and vocabulary of jazz.

T.W. has a style that reaches from Jazz to Gospel and from R & B to Hip-Hop. His talent allows him to be a proficient pianist, Hammond B-3 organist, and keyboardist. TW has been influenced by many persons and groups: Mulgrew Miller, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Phineas Newborn Jr., Jimmy Smith, Kenny Kirkland, Earth, Wind, and Fire, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Chicago Mass Choir, Cosmopolitan Choir, Rev. Timothy Wright, Mississippi Mass Choir, Run DMC, Dr.Dre, and Jay-Z.

T.W. graduated from The Ohio State University, with a Music Education degree, and from William Paterson University, with a Masters in Jazz Performance.