Tom Russell
Tom Russell with a fan at a gig in the UK, 2003
Background information
Birth name	Thomas George Russell
Born	March 5, 1950 (1950-03-05) (age 57)
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Genre(s)	Country, Folk
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals Guitar
Label(s)	HighTone Records
Website	TomRussell.com

Thomas George "Tom" Russell (born 5 March 1950^[1] in Los Angeles) is an American singer-songwriter. Although most identified with the country music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, Tex-Mex and the cowboy music of the American West. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith, Dave Alvin, Suzy Bogguss and more. In addition to his music, he is also a painter of folk art and has published a novel and a book of songwriting quotes co-authored with Sylvia Tyson. Image File history File links Tom_russell1. ... This article is about the day. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Harry Belafonte singing, photograph by C. van Vechten Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with speech. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... HighTone Records is an independent record label based in Oakland, California. ... This article is about the day. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... Tejano[1] (Spanish for Texan) or Tex-Mex[2] music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Hispanic-descended Tejanos of Central and South Texas. ... It has been suggested that Johnny Cash family be merged into this article or section. ... Depiction of Nanci Griffith on the cover of her album Flyer Nanci Caroline Griffith, (born July 6, 1953 in Seguin, Texas) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas. ... Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in Downey, California, USA) is a guitarist, singer and songwriter. ... Suzy Bogguss (born December 30, 1956) is an American country music singer and one of the most acclaimed female country singers of the 1980s and 90s. ... Ian and Sylvia Tyson were a Canadian folk music duo who performed and recorded from the early 1960s through the early 1970s. ...

Early career

Russell graduated from the University of California with a degree in criminology and taught school in Nigeria at the time of the Biafran War. He also lived in Spain and Norway and played music at a circus in Puerto Rico. He began his musical career in earnest in the early 1970s in Vancouver, playing strip bars. Later he relocated to Texas and formed a band with singer-pianist Patricia Hardin. They recorded two albums, but split in 1979, at which point Russell drifted out of the music industry. Berkeley Davis Irvine Los Angeles Merced San Diego Santa Barbara Santa Cruz UC Office of the President in Oakland The University of California (UC) is a public university system in the state of California. ... Criminology is the scientific study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon. ... The Nigerian Civil War, 1967 - 1970, was an ethnic and political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the South-eastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed republic of Biafra. ... Motto: By Sea, Land, and Air We Prosper Location of Vancouver within the Greater Vancouver Regional District in British Columbia, Canada Coordinates: , Country  Canada Province  British Columbia Region Lower Mainland Regional District Greater Vancouver Incorporated 1886 Government  - Mayor Sam Sullivan (NPA)  - City Council List of Councilors Suzanne Anton (NPA) Peter... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ...

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 side-man until April of 2006. Queens County, often referred to as simply Queens, is the largest in area of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is home to New York Citys two major airports (John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia), the New York Mets baseball team, the USTA National Tennis Center, Silvercup... the very definition of a guitarist is cody allen and taylor hines because of there un ending guitar skills and awsomnes. ... Robert C. Hunter (born June 23, 1941) is an American lyricist, singer songwriter, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. ... Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco, California. ... “NY” redirects here. ...

Tom Russell Band

In the 1980s Russell made four albums credited to the Tom Russell Band, which featured Hardin and accordion maestro Fats Kaplin. These albums blended elements of folk, country and rock, and often featured songs inspired by the American Southwest, blue collar American life, and by events from his own colourful life (for instance the track Road to Bayamon, a regular concert favourite, 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 sad last days of Bill Haley. This article is about the instrument as a whole. ... Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in Downey, California, USA) is a guitarist, singer and songwriter. ... Bill Haley, with his band, the Comets, was one of the first rock and roll acts to tour the United Kingdom. ...

The Man From God Knows Where

In the 1990s 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 favourite cowboy themed songs. He also saw a version of his song Outbound Plane become a Top Ten country hit for Suzy Bogguss. However, his most significant album of the 1990s was the 1999 "folk opera" The Man From God Knows Where. Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that most often follows a twelve-bar structure. ... For other uses, see Cowboy (disambiguation). ... Suzy Bogguss (born December 30, 1956) is an American country music singer and one of the most acclaimed female country singers of the 1980s and 90s. ...

Drawing on the music of Norway and Ireland in addition to American folk and country, the album took the form of 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 such as 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. A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in sequence as a single entity. ... Iris DeMent (born 5 January 1961) is an American country/folk singer and songwriter. ... Dolores Keane is an Irish folk singer. ... Dave Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was a folk singer born in Brooklyn, New York, who settled in Greenwich Village, New York City, and was nicknamed the Mayor of MacDougal Street. ...

Hotwalker

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. El Paso redirects here. ...

In 2005 Russell released Hotwalker, the second part of a planned "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. Henry Charles Bukowski (August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was an influential Los Angeles poet and novelist. ... Lenny Bruce (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), born Leonard Alfred Schneider, was a controversial American stand-up comedian, writer, social critic and satirist of the 1950s and 1960s. ... Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 - March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. ... The Beat Generation was a group of American writers who came to prominence in the late 1950s and early 1960s. ...

In addition to working on new music, Russell also exhibits his original artwork and organises an annual trans-Canadian "music train" featuring workshops and 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.

Russell's latest release is the 2006 album Love and Fear, a collection of original songs that were inspired by the highs and lows of his relationships with women.

Discography

Albums

• Ring Of Bone (with Patricia Hardin) (1976)
• Wax Museum (with Patricia Hardin) (1978)
• Heart on a Sleeve (1984)
• Road to Bayamon (1987)
• Poor Man's Dream (1989)
• Hurricane Season (1991)
• 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: Tribute & More (2007)

DVDs

• Hearts on the Line (2005)

References

External links

• Official website
• Hightone Records