At one live show at the Rusty Nail in Sunderland, Massachusetts, when original NRBQ drummer Tom Staley did not return for an encore, Adams invited Ardolino to fill in.
[1] He performed well enough that when Staley left the band in 1974, his bandmates agreed that Ardolino was the natural choice as successor.
[2] Ardolino remained in the lineup until the band went on hiatus in 2004, returning for occasional performances with Adams, and contributing to solo recordings by Adams (Rhythm Spell and Holy Tweet), by NRBQ (Keep This Love Going and We Travel the Spaceways) and others (see Selected Discography).
Ardolino appeared in a promotional video to campaign for the world premiere of The Simpsons Movie in his hometown of Springfield.
Tom Ardolino died on January 6, 2012, at a Springfield, Massachusetts, hospital; this was reported on the NRBQ Headquarters page on Facebook.