Tom Rush

Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and formed on the Boston-Cambridge folk scene at the turn of the 1960s, Tom Rush first made his mark in the circuit of acoustic clubs tied to the American folk revival, balancing traditional ballads, rural blues, and intimate songwriting. A guitarist and singer, he first recorded Got a Mind to Ramble in 1963, then Blues, Songs and Ballads in 1965, before broadening his approach with Tom Rush in 1965 and Take a Little Walk with Me in 1966, where his folk grew more electric in its arrangements. His career remains closely tied to the emergence of the American singer-songwriter scene in the late 1960s: Tom Rush was early in performing songs by Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne, helping circulate them within the North American folk milieu. The Circle Game, released in 1968, marks a balance point between acoustic tradition and contemporary writing. In the 1970s, Rush continued with Tom Rush (1970), Wrong End of the Rainbow (1970), Merrimack County (1972), and Ladies Love Outlaws (1974), incorporating more country folk and soft rock. After this period, he slowed his release pace but remained active on stage, notably in listening rooms conducive to his sober guitar playing and direct phrasing.