Tom Russell

Tom Russell began his music career in the skid row country bars of Vancouver in 1971: “We were backing topless dancers, strippers, female impersonators, dog acts, and sword swallowers ... then in 1973 I heard about a progressive country scene down in Austin, Texas.” Russell formed a band in Austin with pianist Patricia Hardin, and they recorded two albums, Ring of Bone and Wax Museum which have been re-released together on a single CD. The duo broke up in ’79 and Tom made three records in the mid-80s, The Road to Bayamon, Poor Man’s Dream, and Hurricane Season. A collection of cowboy songs, Cowboy Real, features two duets with Ian Tyson — “Gallo del Cielo” and the 1987 CMA single of the year, “Navajo Rug,” co-written with Tyson. “Outbound Plane” won Tom a 1993 ASCAP Country Award as one of the most performed radio songs when Suzy Bogguss’ recording became a top-ten hit. In 1995, Tom released a new solo recording, The Rose of the San Joaquin, and the same year also brought the publication of two books, And Then I Wrote: The Songwriter Speaks, and his novel Blood Sport.

Note: This information was posted to the web site when Tom appeared at our 14th Annual Benefit Weekend, January 15-16, 1999.