Thomas Russell

Singer songwriter, painter, essayist – Tom Russell earned a Master’s Degree in Criminology from the University of California. He recently received the ASCAP Award of 2015 for outstanding achievement in music journalism. He has recorded thirty five highly acclaimed albums, and published five books, which include: 120 Songs of Tom Russell, Tough Company – Letters with Charles Bukowski, Blue Horse Red Desert: the Art of Tom Russell, Blodsport – a crime novel published by Aschehoug, Norway, and – And Then I Wrote: The Songwriter Speaks, with Sylvia Tyson.

Tom Russell’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Ian Tyson, Doug Sahm, Nanci Griffith, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Iris Dement, Joe Ely and hundreds of others. His current 52 track “folk opera” on the West: The Rose of Roscrae, was deemed by UK Folk as perhaps most important Americana record of all time, the top Folk album of 2105 by Mojo Magazine, and hailed in top ten lists in two dozen publications including The Los Angeles Times.

“The greatest living folk-country songwriter is a man named Tom Russell.” John Swenson, Rolling Stone
“Tom Russell is the best songwriter of the generation following Bob Dylan.” The Montreal Gazette

Available works