Tom Rush - Live in Concert

Tom Rush is a gifted musician and performer whose shows offer a musical celebration — a journey into the tradition and spectrum of what music has been, can be, and will become. His distinctive guitar style, wry humour, and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a draw for audiences around the world. His performances are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific storytelling, the sweet melancholy of ballads, and the passion of gritty blues.

Rush’s impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the 1960s and the renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s, leaving his mark on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, “Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences.” Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush as one of his top five musical influences.

Rush has long championed emerging artists. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and James Taylor. In more recent years, his Club 47® concerts have helped bring artists such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences while they were still building their reputations.

Tom Rush began his musical career in the early 1960s playing Boston-area clubs while attending Harvard University. Club 47 was the flagship of the coffeehouse scene, and he soon secured a weekly performance spot there. Surrounded by legendary artists, he honed his skills and grew into his talent. By the time he graduated, he had already released two albums.

Rush displayed then, as he does today, an uncanny knack for discovering wonderful songs and writing his own — many of which have become classics reinterpreted by new generations. His songs have crossed genres, becoming folk hits, country hits, heavy metal tracks, and even rap samples. Signed by Elektra Records in 1965, Rush recorded three albums for the label, culminating in The Circle Game, which Rolling Stone credited with ushering in the singer-songwriter era.

In the early 1970s, as folk evolved into folk-rock, Rush adapted once again and found more room to stretch creatively. Recording for Columbia Records, he toured relentlessly with a five-piece band, performing concerts nationwide. Endless promotional tours, interviews, television appearances, and recording sessions added up to five exhausting but successful years. Eventually, Rush stepped away to recharge creatively at his farm in New Hampshire.

Rush returned triumphantly in 1981, selling out Boston’s prestigious Symphony Hall in advance. His time away had rekindled not only his love of music but also audiences’ enthusiasm for him.

Recognizing that listeners valued both established artists and fresh voices, Rush created a musical forum inspired by the spirit of Club 47. In 1982, he launched the concept at Symphony Hall, and the show became an annual event that eventually expanded to multiple nights. The Club 47 series was born. By pairing celebrated performers such as Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris with then-emerging artists like Alison Krauss and Mark O'Connor, Rush built a concert series that toured nationally. From the 1980s onward, Club 47 events filled premier concert halls and were broadcast nationally on PBS and NPR.

In 1999, Columbia/Legacy released The Very Best of Tom Rush: No Regrets, a retrospective covering Rush’s recording career from 1962 onward, including music from Columbia, Elektra, Prestige, and his independent years. The 17-track compilation featured the new song “River Song,” with vocal contributions from Grammy winners Shawn Colvin and Marc Cohn.

A live CD, Trolling for Owls, released in 2003 through Tom’s Nightlight Recordings, captured his full live performance style, including some of the spoken stories that audiences had come to love.

In 2005, Homespun Tapes released How I Play (some of) My Favorite Songs, a DVD in which Rush demonstrated how he played ten memorable songs and guitar arrangements. The release received strong praise from guitarists around the world.

In 2009, Rush recorded his first studio album in 35 years in Nashville. What I Know was produced by longtime friend Jim Rooney and featured original material alongside harmonies from Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Bramlett, and Nanci Griffith.

In 2012, Rush revived his Club 47® shows at Boston’s Symphony Hall with “Tom Rush: 50 Years of Music,” featuring old friends David Bromberg, Jonathan Edwards, and Buskin & Batteau, alongside newer collaborators such as Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The show streamed live and was later released on DVD.

He followed with another sold-out Symphony Hall performance in 2013 featuring the Kweskin Jug Band, Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Bill Keith, Patty Larkin, Sarah Lee Guthrie, and Johnny Irion.

On December 28, 2014, his show featured Red Molly — consisting of Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner, and Molly Venter — along with saxophonist Grace Kelly and Cape Cod singer-songwriter Monica Rizzio. Once again, the performances received rave reviews.

Today, Tom Rush lives in Massachusetts when he is not touring. His voice has grown richer and more melodic with time, and his music — like a fine wine — has matured through a blend of traditional and modern influences. He continues to write new songs and do what audiences have always loved him for: writing and performing passionately and tenderly while weaving together the musical traditions and talents of his era.

📅 Saturday, October 24, 2026

🕗 8:00 PM

📍 Arlington Music Hall in Arlington, Texas

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