Tom Russell

Tom Russell ( born March 5, 1953 in Los Angeles ) is an American country and folk singer and songwriter, who is also now and then a writer.

Russell grew up in Los Angeles. On the radio, he heard both songs from the country scene in Bakersfield and the folk movement that influenced him. He was also interested in the Beat poets and Charles Bukowski, with whom he later a 20-year ongoing correspondence led, he processed in his artistic work.

After a college degree program in criminology, he worked for two years as a teacher in Nigeria. After his return, he played first few months in Vancouver, Canada, in 1973 before he joined the country music scene of Austin, Texas. Here he made ​​his way by doing odd jobs. Together with Patricia Hardin, he released two moderately successful albums. He then retired for a few years in the music business. Among other things, he worked at this time as a taxi driver in New York, where he met his former colleagues and future guitarist Andrew Hardin. A passenger, Robert Hunter, who wrote most of the lyrics of the group Grateful Dead, one day persuaded him to try a new start.

Career

Since the 1980s he traveled with Andrew Hardin and the accordion virtuoso Fats Kaplin through Europe. They lived for a time in Oslo ( Norway) and produced several albums there. Russell wrote in these years, numerous songs have been recorded by well-known country musicians. Especially the Canadian Ian Tyson kept reaching back to his material. Among the most famous compositions include Russell Navajo Rug (written with Ian Tyson ) and Gallo De Cielo. He lived for some time at Tysons Ranch in Calgary and was co-producer of two albums by his former wife, Sylvia Tyson, with whom he had a relationship even a short time.

The late eighties, he put together his own band, the Tom Russell Band. There followed several concert tours throughout North America and Europe. During this period a successful collaboration with Katy Moffatt, he acted as co-producer on several albums began. With Nanci Griffith some duets were recorded. Their 2001 release, the album Borderland, the thematically grappled with his new home in El Paso US-amerikanisch/mexikanischen border area. Russell developed an increasing interest in the history and folklore of the American West.

Tom Russell has distanced himself throughout his musical career from the mainstream Nashville imprint. His largely self- written songs deal with subjects such as U.S. history, immigration, the lives of ordinary workers or Indians. Mexican influences on his music are unmistakable. Russell's songs were not found in the charts, with the exception of " Outbound Plane ," which he co-authored with Nanci Griffith, Suzy Bogguss was this song in their very successful version at number 9 on the Billboard country charts. But he was repeatedly awards, notably from Canada, for its qualities as a songwriter. Today, he is widely regarded as the best " storytelling songwriter " of the U.S. and as " perhaps the best Roots -songwriter after Bob Dylan ". The Folk Music Alliance chose his " Who's Gonna Built Your Wall? " the best song of the year 2008. Therein denounces Tom Russell at the disastrous policies of the Bush administration, which forecloses the country about any need out. This applies to the border of Texas with Mexico as well as even for Canadian musicians who can take a tour of the U.S. only under severe conditions.

Albums

DVD

• Hearts On The Line ( documentary about a train trip across Canada with Special Guests Hot Club Of Cowtown, Kristi Rose and Fats Kaplin and live performances by Tom Russell and Andrew Hardin in Vancouver and the Philadelphia Folk Festival, etc.) Canyon DVD, 2005

• Tough Company, Black Shark Press 2005