Tom DeVries was inspired by the music of the 1960's and, due to his interest in Bob Dylan songs, began playing the guitar and harmonica in 1970.  His musical talents did not go unnoticed and before long he was performing as a solo artist or in small combos throughout Michigan and Colorado.  Tom was asked to chair the Calvin College Music Guild in Grand Rapids where he both entertained and coordinated events.  His interest in guitar flat picking was piqued after he organized a concert appearance for virtuoso Norman Blake at Calvin College.   During the later 70's, Tom continued to hone his abilities with longtime friend Bill VanVugt in such bands as the Detour Brothers, Sometimes Fiddle Band, and the Hopping Hammers Strings Band.  Using the same proficiency with which he mastered the guitar, he opened up his world to traditional and bluegrass music by learning to play the mandolin.   In 1980, Tom formed the Hill People, a bluegrass/folk/Irish/pop variety band with Duncan McMillan on banjo, Dan Seabolt on fiddle, and the former Cabbage Crik member John Vrieling on upright bass.  Tom contributed the guitar and mandolin parts and was the primary vocalist.

The Hill People became one of the premiere bands of its type in the Midwest and played extensively throughout the region for 18 years.  Among the band's many achievements was performing for President Gerald R. Ford and appearances with the Grand Rapids Symphony and the McLain Family Band.     In addition to Tom's involvement with the Hill People in the 1980's-90's, he would often be seen onstage with many other musical artists and bands as well as solo performances.  With his extensive fiddle tune repertoire and mandolin skills, he is a frequent addition to square dance bands at a variety of venues, most notably at the Wheatland Music Festival in central Michigan.  In the late 1990's, Tom became a favorite solo performer aboard The Grand Lady, a charming paddle boat plying west Michigan's Grand River.  To date, his stage and studio contributions extend throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico and include such artists as Carol Johnson, Lucy Webster, Beats Sitting Home, and many other acts.   When Tom is not busy with the Missing Lynx, he can be found playing mandolin throughout Michigan with the Blue Water Ramblers.