Tom Rush
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Tom Rush | |
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 Rush performing in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | February 8, 1941 Portsmouth, New Hampshire,U.S. |
| Genres | Blues,folk,country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Labels | Elektra,Prestige,Columbia |
| Website | tomrush |
Thomas Walker Rush(born February 8, 1941)[1]is an Americanfolkandbluessinger, guitarist, and songwriter who helped launch the careers of other singer-songwriters in the 1960s and has continued his own singing career for 60 years.[2]
Life and career
[edit]Rush was born inPortsmouth, New Hampshire,United States,[1]the son of a teacher atSt. Paul's School,inConcord, New Hampshire.He began performing in 1961 while studying atHarvard University,[1]after having graduated from theGroton School.He majored in English literature. His early recordings include Southern andAppalachianfolk or old-time country songs,Woody Guthrieballads, and acoustic-guitar blues, such asJesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues," which appeared on both of his first two LPs.[3]He regularly performed at theClub 47coffeehouse (now called Club Passim) in Cambridge, the Unicorn in Boston, andThe Main Pointin Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. In the 1970s he lived inDeering, New Hampshire.[4]As of 2023, Rush lives in theNorth Shoreregion of Massachusetts, not far from his New Hampshire birth place.
Rush is credited byRolling Stonemagazinewith ushering in the era of the singer-songwriter. In addition to performing his own compositions, he sang songs byJoni Mitchell,Jackson Browne,James Taylor,Murray McLauchlan,David WiffenandWilliam Hawkins,helping them to gain recognition early in their careers.
His 1968 composition "No Regrets"has become a standard,[1]with numerous cover versions having been recorded (Rush did two radically different versions himself). These includeThe Walker Brothers,who gave Tom RushTop Tencredit as a songwriter on theUK Singles Chart,Emmylou Harris,who included the song on her 1988 albumBluebird,andMidge Urewhose cover also made the UK Top Ten.[1]
On March 1, 2007 a video of his performance of Steven Walters' "The Remember Song" was uploaded to YouTube, and, as of April 2017, it has received over 7 million plays. Writing on his website, Rush said,
I've been waiting 45 years to be an overnight sensation, and it's finally happened! A video clip of my performance of "The Remember Song" has 'gone viral'. I felt terrible at first, thinking I was being accused of being a musical equivalent ofEbola,but my children explained to me that this was a good thing.
One of the earliest music videos produced (1968) for an artist by a record company, Elektra, can be found at his website. It was used to promote his signature song, "No Regrets", for hisThe Circle Gamealbum. A number of recent videos from a 2010 concert performed inOld Saybrook, Connecticutcan be found online.
Over the years Rush has used a number of guitars on stage, his current[when?]primary one being a handcrafted acoustic made by Don Musser. In February 2012, Rush appeared on stage in Colorado with a new instrument, a cedar-topDreadnoughtwith an inlay of a snake wrapped around a reclining nude woman. The guitar, crafted by McKenzie & Marr Guitars is a "re-incarnation" of one of Rush's earliest acoustics, the famous "Naked Lady".
On December 28, 2012, Rush appeared at Boston'sSymphony Hallto celebrate fifty years in the music business. Rush had first performed there in 1958, and for many years Rush performed there regularly, often in December.[5]
Rush continues to regularly perform and to tour regionally, as of late 2023.
Rush's latest albums areVoices,released in 2018, andGardens Old, Flowers New(March 1, 2024). In recent years, he has frequently toured the United States, often accompanied on piano by Berklee graduate Matt Nakoa.[6][7][8]
Discography
[edit]
- 1962Tom Rush at the Unicorn(Lycornu)
- 1964Got a Mind to Ramble(Prestige)
- 1965Blues, Songs & Ballads(Prestige)
- 1965Tom Rush(Elektra)
- 1966Take a Little Walk with Me(Elektra)
- 1968The Circle Game(Elektra)
- 1970Classic Rush(Elektra)
- 1970Tom Rush(Columbia)
- 1970Wrong End of the Rainbow(Columbia)
- 1972Merrimack County(Columbia)
- 1974Ladies Love Outlaws(Columbia)
- 1982New Year(Night Light)
- 1984Late Night Radio(Night Light)
- 2001Live at Symphony Hall, Boston(Varese Sarabande)
- 2006Trolling for Owls(Late Night)
- 2009What I Know(Appleseed)
- 2013Celebrates 50 Years of Music(Appleseed)
- 2018Voices(Appleseed)
- 2024Gardens Old, Flowers New(Appleseed)
References
[edit]- ^abcdeColin Larkin,ed. (1997).The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music(Concise ed.).Virgin Books.p. 1048.ISBN1-85227-745-9.
- ^Dicaire, David (September 9, 2011).The Folk Music Revival, 1958-1970: Biographies of Fifty Performers and Other Influential People.McFarland. pp. 95–.ISBN978-0-7864-6352-7.RetrievedFebruary 21,2012.
- ^"Tom Rush".Discogs.
- ^"The Future is not Today: I Knew It I Knew It I KNEW IT".Nomadwillie.blogspot.com.May 26, 2014.
- ^Reed, James (December 22, 2012)."Tom Rush celebrates 50 years with return to Symphony Hall".Boston Globe.Archived fromthe originalon February 7, 2023.RetrievedNovember 19,2023.
- ^"Interview: Tom Rush on New Release" Voices, "Music as Indicator for Social Change, Harvard, and Production Anecdotes • Americana Highways".Americana Highways.April 27, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 2,2019.
- ^"Berklee grad Matt Nakoa wows crowds with Tom Rush – The Boston Globe".BostonGlobe.com.RetrievedJanuary 2,2019.
- ^"Tom Rush: 2018".Wfuv.org.RetrievedJanuary 2,2019.
External links
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