Thomas Paul "Tompall" Glaser was born on September 3, 1933, in Spalding, Nebraska. Raised on a farm, he and his brothers Jim and Chuck began performing music locally, eventually forming the trio Tompall & the Glaser Brothers. They gained early exposure by performing on Arthur Godfrey's television show in 1957 and shared the stage with Patsy Cline in Las Vegas in 1962.

Tompall Glaser became a prominent figure in the 1970s outlaw country movement. He co-produced Waylon Jennings's influential album "Honky Tonk Heroes" in 1973, which played a significant role in the movement by challenging the Nashville studio system. Glaser's own highest-charting solo single was "Put Another Log on the Fire," which reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1975. He also appeared on the first platinum-certified country album, "Wanted! The Outlaws," alongside Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Jessi Colter.

Glaser was instrumental in the outlaw country scene through his Nashville recording studio, Glaser Sound Studios, known as "Hillbilly Central." The studio was a hub for artists seeking creative freedom, and it produced groundbreaking albums like John Hartford's "Aereo-Plain" and Waylon Jennings' "Dreaming My Dreams." Additionally, Glaser and his brothers ran a music publishing company that allowed songwriters to maintain ownership of their work, a rarity at the time.

Tompall Glaser passed away on August 12, 2013, in Nashville, Tennessee, after a long illness, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneer of the outlaw country genre.