Tom Rush Biography

Tom Rush was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on February 8th, 1941. Self-taught on the guitar, he started performing at the local coffee houses in and around Cambridge while attending school at Harvard University. Cambridge was a hotbed for the folk movement at the time, and Tom soon became its spokesmen, becoming a key figure in the American folk revival of the 1960's. His 1965 eponymously titled album for Elektra bolted him into popular, mainstream music, with an eclectic selection of Folk and Blues from the likes of Bukka White, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and Bo Diddley. Yet, it is his 3rd album for Elektra, Circle Games, which has left an indelible mark on the American music scene, introducing to the world songs from then unknowns: Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne.

"Rolling Stone at one point said that my album ushered in the singer-songwriter era. I don't know if that's true. I think it was the first time any of them (Mitchell,Taylor,Browne) had been recorded."--T.Rush

The recording also contained "No Regrets" his own composition which became a pop classic with bands such as the Walker Brothers (1976) and Midge Ure (1982) recording successfull covers. His influence on contemporary singer/songwriters has been profound, from James Taylor to Garth Brooks, many have claimed him a major influence in their music.
""Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences."

Tom Rush continues to play his unique blend of ballads and blues to an appreciative audience, and promoting new acts in the folk genre. His "Club 47" show brings together the well-known and the up and coming folk artists and promotes them across the country.
"I try to combine some well-known artists with newcomers, in the spirit of the coffee house, "Club 47", where I started out in Cambridge in the '60s."--T.Rush

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