Thomas Dale Rapp (born March 8, 1947 in Bottineau, North Dakota) was an American singer‑songwriter who formed the group Pearls Before Swine in 1965 while in high school. Their debut One Nation Underground (1966) sold about 200,000 copies. Subsequent releases included the anti‑war Balaklava (1967) and the 1971 albums City of Gold and Beautiful Lies You Could Live In. Rapp issued solo records Familiar Songs (1972), Stardancer (1972), and Sunforest (1973) before retiring in 1976. He earned a law degree from University of Pennsylvania, practiced civil‑rights law, and returned to music in 1990s, recording A Journal of the Plague Year (1999) and performing at Terrastock festivals. Rapp died of cancer in Melbourne, Florida, on February 11, 2018.
