Thomas George "Tom" Russell
(born March 5, 1953 [1] in Los Angeles) is an American singer-songwriter. Although most strongly identified with the Texas Country music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, Tex-Mex, and the cowboy music of the American West. Many of his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Johnny Cash, k. d. lang, Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Iris Dement, Dave Alvin, and Suzy Bogguss.
In addition to his music, Russell also paints folk art, and has published a book of songwriting quotes (co-edited with Sylvia Tyson), a detective novel (in Scandanavia),and a book of letters with Charles Bukowski (Tough Company; Mystery Island Press).
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TOM RUSSELL TICKETS
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Early career
Russell graduated from the
University of California with a degree in
criminology and taught school in
Nigeria during the
Biafran War. He has also lived in
Spain,
Norway, and played music at a circus in
Puerto Rico. He began his musical career in earnest in the early 1970's in
Vancouver playing strip bars, then later relocated to Texas and formed a band with
singer-
pianist Patricia Hardin. In 1977, they moved to San Francisco, performing regularly in clubs there as
Hardin & Russell
, during which time they recorded the second of their two studio albums. They eventually split in 1979, at which point Russell drifted out of the music industry for a while.
While working as a
taxi driver in
Queens, Russell met
guitarist Andrew Hardin (no relation to Patricia). After hearing his songs, Hardin convinced him that they should form a new band. Shortly after this,
Robert Hunter of the
Grateful Dead was a passenger in Russell's cab. Russell sang him his song
Gallo Del Cielo
. An impressed Hunter invited Russell and Hardin first to join him on stage at
New York's
Bitter End, and then to become his regular opening act. Hardin remained Russell's full-time
sideman until April, 2006.
Tom Russell Band
Between 1984 and 1994, the Tom Russell Band, (composed of Russell on acoustic guitar and vocals, Andrew Hardin (guitar, bass), David Mansfield (slide guitar), Fats Kaplin (pedal steel, fiddle, harmonica, accordion), Lee Thornburg, Tom Timko (horns), Skip Edwards (keyboards), Hank Bones, Dusty Wakeman, Billy Troiani (bass), Steve Holley, Charlie Caldarola, Mike Warner, and Jeff Donovan (drums), released four albums on Philo records. These albums blend elements of folk, country, and rock music, and often featured songs inspired by the American Southwest, blue-collar American life, and events from his own life (for instance the track
Road to Bayamon
, a regular concert favorite, draws on his experiences playing in Puerto Rico). His storytelling approach was also showcased in songs such as
Haley's Comet
, which has also been recorded by co-writer
Dave Alvin and tells of the last, sad days of
Bill Haley.
The Man From God Knows Where
In the 1990's Russell made a number of solo albums, collaborated with
blues singer
Barrence Whitfield on two albums, and also recorded an acoustic album mixing new material with his favorite
cowboy-themed songs. His albums include several guest appearances from other folk, country, and
Americana artists, such as
Chris Gaffney and
Dave Alvin. His song
Outbound Plane
become a Top Ten country hit for
Suzy Bogguss. However, his most significant album of the 1990's was the 1999 folk opera,
The Man From God Knows Where
.
Drawing on the music of
Norway and
Ireland in addition to American folk and country, the album is a
song cycle tracing the journeys of Russell's ancestors from Europe to America, and the struggles they encountered there. Recorded in Norway near the spot where his great-grandfather was born in 1847, the album features singers
Iris DeMent,
Dolores Keane, and
Dave Van Ronk playing the roles of Russell's various ancestors and telling their stories. The title came from the epitaph of another Tom Russell, an Irish activist executed in 1803.
Recent work
Russell's albums in the 21st century have been heavily influenced by his current home city,
El Paso. Albums such as
Borderland
feature a strong Tex-Mex influence and feature songs of life on both sides of the border.
In 2005 Russell released
Hotwalker
, the second part of his Americana trilogy (the first part being "The Man From God Knows Where"). It was another conceptual work largely inspired by his correspondence with author
Charles Bukowski. Subtitled "A Ballad for Gone America", the album features songs and spoken word pieces, many of the latter delivered by another friend of Bukowski, circus midget Little Jack Horton. The sampled voices of
Lenny Bruce and
Edward Abbey are also heard on an album which takes the form of a musical collage lamenting the passing of the America of Russell's childhood and the
Beat generation.
In addition to working on new music, Russell also exhibits his original artwork and organizes an annual trans-Canadian music train, which combines song-writing and -singing workshops with live concerts aboard a vintage long-distance streamline train. This train trek was depicted in Russell's 2005 concert/documentary, "Hearts on the Line", produced by Canyon Productions, which features a concert with Russell and Andrew Hardin videotaped at Capilano College in Vancouver as well as behind the scenes footage of the music train experience.
In 2006, Russell released
Love and Fear
, a collection of original songs that were inspired by the highs and lows of his relationships with women. This was followed in 2007 by "Wounded Heart of America", a tribute album of Tom Russell songs covered by other artists, including
Joe Ely,
Suzy Bogguss,
Dave Alvin,
Jerry Jeff Walker, and beat poet legend
Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Two new songs, "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall" and "The Death of Jimmy Martin", are also included on the album.
In 2008, Russell's new record company, Shout Factory, released a 2 CD retrospective album "Veteran's Day: Anthology" and Russell and Canyon Productions, Inc. released a DVD featuring Russell and Ian Tyson discussing the art of songwriting called "Mano a Mano." Russell is also working on a documentary film project called
California Bloodlines
and is currently touring, painting and writing new songs.
On September 15, 2009, Russell released a new album of twelve original songs on
Shout! Factory. "Blood and Candle Smoke" was recorded in Tucson, AZ at Wave Lab Studios with members of
Calexico providing a world music beat to many of the songs. The album was produced by Tom Russell and Craig Schumacher, who has worked with
Neko Case,
Iron & Wine and Calexico. Russell will tour extensively through the U.S., Canada and Europe in support of the album for the remainder of 2009.
Discography
Albums
- Ring Of Bone
(with Patricia Hardin) (1976)
- Wax Museum
(with Patricia Hardin) (1978)
- Heart on a Sleeve
(1984) (Tom Russell Band)
- Road to Bayamon
(1987) (Tom Russell Band)
- Poor Man's Dream
(1989) (Tom Russell Band)
- Hurricane Season
(1991) (Tom Russell Band)
- Cowboy Real
(1991)
- Box of Visions
(1993)
- Hillbilly Voodoo
(1993, with Barrence Whitfield)
- Cowboy Mambo
(1994, with Barrence Whitfield)
- The Rose of the San Joaquin
(1995)
- The Long Way Around
(1997)
- Song of the West
(1997)
- The Man from God Knows Where
(1999)
- Borderland
(2001)
- Museum of Memories
(2002)
- Modern Art
(2003)
- Indians Cowboys Horses Dogs
(2004)
- Hotwalker
(2005)
- Raw Vision 1984-1994
(2005)
- Love and Fear
(2006)
- The Wounded Heart of America
(2007)
- One To The Heart, One To The Head
(2009, with Gretchen Peters)
- Blood and Candle Smoke
(2009)
Compilations
- Tulare Dust: A Songwriters' Tribute to Merle Haggard
(1994) (Russell covers "Tulare Dust" and "They're Tearin' the Labor Camps Down")
- Veteran's Day: Anthology
(2008)
DVDs
- Hearts on the Line
(2005)
- Mano a Mano
(2008)
References
- Offical Website