ABSTRACT
After signing with Elektra Records at the height of the folk-rock boom, Rush’s albums-Take a Little Walk with Me (Elektra #7308; 1966), The Circle Game (Elektra #74018; 1968), and Classic Rush (Elektra #74062; 1971)—began appearing on the pop charts. Although never achieving true stardom, his albums with Columbia-Tom Rush (Columbia #9972; 1970). Wrong End of the Rainbow (Columbia #30402; 1970), Merimack County (Columbia #31306; 1972), and Ladies Love Outlaws (Columbia #33054; 1974)—continued to sell moderately well in the early 1970s. Never comfortable as a mainstream label artist, he founded Maple Hill Productions in 1980 as well as his own mail-order record label, Night Light Recordings. He has been a longtime promoter of concerts featuring contemporary folk performers and the Wolf Fund, which is dedicated to wildlife causes. [Romanowski and George-Warren 1995.]
Born James Andrew Rushing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Rushing became one of the great blues/Big Band jazz singers of the 1930s and 1940s. He began singing while still a teenager, first in his hometown and then in California. He worked with a band led by Walter Page (1927-1928) and then joined Bennie Moten in 1929; in 1935, after Moten’s death, the band was taken over by Count Basie, and Rushing became the new band’s lead singer. He remained with Basie for 13 years, establishing his fame. After 1948 he worked as a solo artist, often backed by a small jazz ensemble. He recorded for Vanguard during the mid-1950s (under the supervision of noted producer John Hammond), and during the 1960s for Columbia, Colpix, Impulse!, and Bluesway, among others. Rushing continued to record and perform until his death, although his later recordings were marred by the repetition of a small repertoire of material and the fading quality of his voice. He died of leukemia in New York City.
