Tom Whillock

Tom Whillock is a Rapid City songwriter, guitarist and longtime fixture in the Black Hills music scene. He is best known as the songwriter and driving force behind Toadstool Jamboree, a project that grew out of acoustic performances with Pam Hemmingsen in downtown Rapid City in the 1990s and eventually became one of the region’s most recognizable jam and groove-rock bands.

Whillock’s songwriting has always been at the center of that work, moving between relationships, family, changing perspectives, humor and more psychedelic territory. After decades of writing and performing with Toadstool and other Black Hills musicians, he released his first solo album, Dancing in the Diamond Sky, in 2025. The 11-song record was made with Black Hills musicians and draws inspiration from the place and community where much of Whillock’s musical life has unfolded.

His work extends beyond a single band or format. Whillock has collaborated with other local artists, played handpan in experimental performances, and leads Kokopelli’s Cousin, a Rapid City percussion group that regularly gathers to play together in Jackson Park.