Tom Rush (born February 8, 1941) is an American folk and blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter whose success helped launch the careers of other singer-songwriters in the 1960s and who has continued his own singing career for 60 years.
Life and career
Rush was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, He regularly performed at the Club 47 coffeehouse (now called Club Passim) in Cambridge, the Unicorn in Boston, and The Main Point in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. In the 1970s, he lived in Deering, New Hampshire. Rush lives in Southern Maine, not far from his New Hampshire birthplace.
Rolling Stone magazine credits him with ushering in the era of the singer-songwriter. In addition to performing his own compositions, he sang songs by Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Murray McLauchlan, David Wiffen and William Hawkins, helping them gain recognition early in their careers.
His 1968 composition "No Regrets" is now a standard,
As of late 2023, Rush continues to perform regularly and to tour regionally.
Rush's latest albums are Voices, released in 2018, and Gardens Old, Flowers New (March 1, 2024). In recent years, he has frequently toured the United States, often accompanied on piano by Berklee graduate Matt Nakoa.
Discography
thumb|right|Playing in September 2022
- 1962 Tom Rush at the Unicorn (Lycornu)
- 1964 Got a Mind to Ramble (Prestige)
- 1965 Blues, Songs & Ballads (Prestige)
- 1965 Tom Rush (Elektra)
- 1966 Take a Little Walk with Me (Elektra)
- 1968 The Circle Game (Elektra)
- 1970 Classic Rush (Elektra)
- 1970 Tom Rush (Columbia)
- 1970 Wrong End of the Rainbow (Columbia)
- 1972 Merrimack County (Columbia)
- 1974 Ladies Love Outlaws (Columbia)
- 1982 New Year (Night Light)
- 1984 Late Night Radio (Night Light)
- 2001 Live at Symphony Hall, Boston (Varese Sarabande)
- 2006 Trolling for Owls (Late Night)
- 2009 What I Know (Appleseed)
- 2013 Celebrates 50 Years of Music (Appleseed)
- 2018 Voices (Appleseed)
- 2024 Gardens Old, Flowers New (Appleseed)