Born in Los Angeles in 1950, Tom Russell has spent the majority of his life creating music in one genre or another. Having been steeped in Tex-Mex and cowboy music of the southwest, he is best known as a folk and country singer with a personal storytelling approach to his songwriting. Russell’s past is checkered with interesting events that defy his country music roots, including his receiving a degree in criminology, teaching school in Nigeria, and playing music for a Puerto Rican circus.

Criminals and circuses aside, Russell has penned a number of well-received albums. As a taxi driver in Queens, Russell met guitarist Andrew Hardin, and the two soon formed a band. Russell and Hardin became the regular opening act for Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead, and spent the 1980s releasing four albums under the Tom Russell Band moniker. In the 90s, he put out a series of solo albums, however, it was his 1999 ‘folk opera,’ The Man from God Knows Where, that brought his name to the masses and granted him critical acclaim. Centering on the stories of his ancestors from Norway and Ireland, the recording pulls from traditional music of those regions and blends them with American folk sensibilities. 2005’s Hotwalker, the second in his “Americana trilogy” (The Man from God Knows Where being the first), continued his preoccupation with conceptual albums, focusing on his correspondence with author Charles Bukowski and nostalgia surrounding the Beat generation.

His songs have also been recorded by a number of other prominent musicians including Johnny Cash, Guy Clark, Dave Alvin, K.D. Lang, and Suzy Bogguss. Bogguss’ rendition of “Outbound Plane” became a Top 10 hit on the country charts. In addition to working on his musical career, Russell also exhibits original artwork and organizes an annual “music train” that crosses Canadian territory. The unique journey features workshops and live performances onboard a vintage, stream engine.