Delivered by Gene Shay for Tom Rush
This is the text of the acceptance speech I asked Gene Shay to deliver for me at the International Folk Alliance conference in Memphis in Mid February, 2010. They gave me the Folk Album of the Year award, but I couldn’t’ be there because it was my daughter’s Winter Break, and I had promises to keep.
For those of you who don’t know, Gene has been the voice of folk on Philadelphia radio for eons, and is the main reason I have an audience there. He has been a good friend for a long time, and I hope he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings. I wrote the sections in brackets to be delivered as Gene “speaking for himself.”
Rush’s uncanny ability to deliver emotionally charged narratives and deft performances on a joyous album that features stunning collaborations with Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith and Bonnie Bramlett. ‘What I Know’ opens with Rush’s own “Hot Tonight” – an ode to life’s guilty pleasures best enjoyed long after the sun has set for the day. He incorporates favorite libations (scotch and soda, gin and tonic, margaritas), favorite locations (Boston, LA, New York City and Conshohocken, PA) in his recipe for a good time and declares that he’s “gonna sing and dance ’til the rising sun, have some fun until the police come, it’s gonna get hot tonight.” Standout track “Lonely” is delivered by Rush in an acoustic, bluesy, aching lament to a lost love seasoned with slide guitar and Rhodes piano. The album ends with a wistful re-imagination of Mentor Williams’ “Drift Away.” Translating the classic song into a gentle hymn, Rush’s bittersweet delivery shines on the song’s most famous line: “I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away…” In addition to his contributions to the folk rock music scenes of Boston and New York in the 1960s and being credited with introducing the world to the songs of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne through his interpretations, Rush continues to be instrumental in championing newcomers to the singer-songwriter community via his Club 47 Music Series – which has been host to Alison Krauss, Shawn Colvin and many notable others. Dates are confirmed for a North American tour beginning in January of 2009.
In 1970, Tom was locked up on a trans-Canada private train for a week with the likes of Janis Joplin, the Band, the Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy and more. “Best party I’ve ever been to – hands down”, says Tom. The DVD release “