He's a bass and bass kind of guy, but you have to pronounce them differently; one's a fish and one's a musical instrument.

And both have long been big parts of his life. Tom Banditelli, owner of Tom's Auto & Marine, 250 S. Greenwood St., has been in business for 50 years.Last weekend, he celebrated that achievement with an open house featuring free hot dogs and drinks, a gift basket raffle, a 20 percent off sale, free car wash by Boy Scout Troop 777 and drawings to win a set of Weather Tech mats. Monies raised were donated to the Performing Arts Center, Tamaqua.While building and maintaining a thriving business, he was able to find time for playing music and fishing."You have to pay attention to the business and offer the best customer service you possibly can," Banditelli said. "And you have to like what you're doing I'm 71 and I still like coming to work every day."His dad played the saxophone and his mom played the piano.On Sunday afternoons, it was common for the family to pack up musical instruments and visit friends for a jam session.Tom, who was the recipient of the Joseph M. Plasko Citizenship Award for 2014, awarded by the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce, had three paper routes in his youth.He bought his first car, a 1952 Chevrolet Bel Air, when he was 16. After high school graduation, he joined the Air Force at Chanute, Illinois, where he played trumpet in the Air Force Band and worked in special services as a carpenter. His roommate worked in special services doing auto body work."In high school I had a couple fender benders, and I had fixed them," Banditelli recalled. "My roommate had more work than he could handle, and we worked on cars at night."When Banditelli came back to Tamaqua, he leased four garages on Hazel Street before buying his present location, which was then called Ed Boyle's Trucking Garage.He also began playing trumpet and bass guitar in a band called Angie and the Strangers, opening for the McCoys and the Beach Boys, to name a few, and performing at the Jersey Shore, the Bahamas and Jamaica.For about 42 years, he traveled to Canada to fish at the same lodge, and established a friendship with its owner. When that business burned in 1979, the former owner was looking for partners, and Tom reeled in the chance.The business is Caiger's Resort in 1000 Islands, Canada.Today, his son Tom Jr. is a part-owner in Tom's Auto & Marine and his grandson, Jacob, helps out there when he's not in school."I've always loved fishing and automobiles," Banditelli said. "And music has always been a release, a way to relax."