Tom Rowe, musician and folk singer, at 53

PORTLAND, Maine -- Tom Rowe, who played bass and sang in the popular folk trio Schooner Fare, died Jan. 17.

Mr. Rowe, 53, an Auburn resident, had been undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

Mr. Rowe and brothers Steve and Chuck Romanoff performed across North America for 28 years, making Schooner Fare one of Maine's most enduring musical groups.

"Tom has -- had -- a brilliant ear for both playing and singing, and he was a tenor who played bass," Steve Romanoff said.

Last month, the weekend before Mr. Rowe entered the hospital, Schooner Fare performed at The Barns at Wolf Trap, a renowned venue in Virginia. The band has played at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, and in cities across the country and in Canada.

A father of five, Mr. Rowe played bass clarinet with Auburn Community Band, was choir director of his church in Auburn, and was a recording engineer. He also performed with a trio called Turkey Hollow, which included son Dave and Denny Breau.