Essentials: The Top 10 Tom Russell Songs

Tom Russell requires little if any introduction to the readers of these pages, or for that fact, anyone who is instinctively drawn to the art of the singer-songwriter within the Americana genre. With a recording career that stretches back to the mid-1970s, and having amassed, up to now, no fewer than 29 studio albums along with 3 live albums, Russell’s standing and reputation amongst both critics and fans has few equals while the respect his peers hold him in is of the highest order. The Montreal Gazette described Russell as “the best songwriter of the generation following Bob Dylan”, while the renowned poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti stated, “Tom Russell is Johnny Cash, Jim Harrison and Charles Bukowski rolled into one”. The much-missed music journalist Colin Irwin, writing for Mojo, described Russell as “a treasure”, with legendary American television host David Letterman humorously suggesting that he would “like to quit his job and travel with him (Russell)….if the money can be worked out”. The excellent crime fiction writer Ken Bruen described Russell as, “the last great American voice” while John Swenson, writing for Rolling Stone magazine, stated, “The greatest living folk-country songwriter is a man called Tom Russell”.

All these plaudits are more than justified and yet when the conversation turns to the great songwriters of our time, too often his name is carelessly forgotten as we eulogise about the genius of Guy Clarke, Townes Van Zandt, and John Prine. And yet it could rightfully be argued that his cannon of work, and its consistency of quality throughout the decades, outstrips anything achieved by that triptych of much loved artists. Testament to this claim can be found in the impressive list of renowned artists that over the years have recorded Russell’s songs including among others, Johnny Cash, Doug Sahm, Nanci Griffith, K.D.Lang, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Dave Alvin, Iris Dement, Dave Van Ronk, Joe Ely, Suzy Bogguss, Ian Tyson, and yes even Guy Clark himself.

With such a back catalogue to choose from it may well have been more prudent to have restricted this list to ‘Top 10 Albums’, rather than songs and yet, as proved in previous articles, I am nothing if not a glutton for punishment known to enjoy a little controversy (see my recent article on the Grateful Dead). So after rigorous research, and hours of listening, I managed to get the list down to 50 songs, of which any permutation of 10 would have made a respectable inventory; however, to help me achieve the required number a level of painful culling was required. First of all, I removed all duets, before deciding to limit the list to one song per album, which almost worked, (there is one album that is represented twice. Without looking can you guess which one?), though this did mean that such classic album as “The Rose Of San Joaquin”, “The Man From God Knows Where”, “Borderland”, “Modern Art”, “Hotwalker” and “Mesabi”, are all without representation. In addition, some of my favourite songs, including, ‘The Sky Above, The Mud Below’, ‘California Snow’, and ‘The Dutchman’, are also conspicuous by their absence from the list below.

Probably the greatest pleasure derived from putting a list like this together is the opportunity to indulge in an artist’s back catalogue, re-aquatinting one’s self with forgotten treasures and personal favourites. If there is one particular hope in putting this list together it is that others will take the opportunity to do the same, either by revisiting their album collection, or even better, by introducing readers new to the artist in question, starting them on their journey of discovery for one of the finest singer-songwriters there has ever been.

As ever, this list comes with all the usual caveats, pint and half pint pot, day of the week etc…., and as usual I look forward to hearing your views, and personal favourites, included or missed, as these articles are as much about generating discussion and mutual appreciation of an artist, as well as being a great introduction to those who as yet are not familiar with the chosen tracks. I hope you enjoy it.

Number 10: ‘Tonight We Ride’ (from “Indians, Cowboys, Horses, Dogs” ,2004).

The opening track of the album starts with the fading refrain of a Mariachi Band before the song itself starts. Russell’s distinctive poetic narrative centres around the infamous Mexican revolutionary general and politician Pancho Villa, and his paramilitary forces that attacked the New Mexico town of Columbus as part of the Mexican Border War that took place during the Mexican Revolution between 1910 and 1920. The song itself begins with a Spanish guitar sparsely arranged beneath Russell’s vocals, the introduction of accordion creating a crescendo that builds to each anthemic chorus. Both the subject matter and the geography would prove to be fertile pastures for many of Russell’s songs with ‘Tonight We Ride’ being voted one of the top 100 Western songs of all time, by the ‘Western Writers Of America’.

Number 9: ‘Haley’s Comet’ (from “Hurricane Season” ,1991)

Between the years of 1984 -1994, Russell toured and recorded as a band, with fellow musicians Andrew Hardin on guitar (no relation to Patricia Hardin, with whom Russell had recorded two duet albums during the 1970s) that he’d first met in New York, along with Fats Kaplin on a range of instruments that included pedal steel, fiddle, harmonica and button accordion, and Billy Troiani on bass, while the drum stool was held at different times by Rich Crane, Charlie Caldarola and Mike Warner. Collectively they broadened Russell’s sound that up to that point was more typical of a folk-country singer-songwriter, and in doing so recorded a handful of albums that are now considered pioneering recordings of the genre that would soon come to be known as Americana. This chosen track, a co-write with another icon of Americana music Dave Alvin, recalls the tragic last days in the life of rock ‘n’ roll legend Bill Haley, with its driving rhythm section, twangy guitar and lashings of button accordion providing the perfect conduit to Russell’s sad tale of this fallen star.

Number 8: ‘Stealing Electricity‘ (from “Love And Hate” ,2006).

“There’s a Mexican dead on a power line, he’s deader than yesterday’s communion wine”. Who else writes lyrics like this opening line from ‘Stealing Electricity’, that featured on Russell’s 2006 release “Love And Hate”? The song opens with the low vibrato of a harmonica mimicking the hum from an electric pylon followed by a solitary bass guitar that imitates the sound of a racing heartbeat, before Russell’s vocals deliver a narrative that emphasises a greater sense of frustrated angst than shock or pity. The plight of immigrants, especially Mexicans, is never far from Russell’s consciousness, and yet this song is far more than just another tale of the least fortunate, his songs are rarely that one dimensional, and weaved within his barbed poetry lie the ashes of a broken love affair and infidelity. Here, the song reveals its inner secret midway through with the line “when the poverty of your spirit and the weakness of your flesh, goes dancing every night through other people’s trash……love is like stealing electricity”, delivered with equal amounts of judgement and guilt. Connecting each verse is the infectious and repetitive refrain of the chorus, “his heart went da da da da da da da….”, a phrase that in different hands could quickly become annoying, endures because rather than being a lazy throwaway line, it is the very heartbeat of the song.

Number 7: ‘Navajo Rug’ (from “Poor Man’s Dream” ,1989).

The second song on this list to appear in the ‘Western Writers Of America’s Top 100 Western Songs Of All Time’, and another to be recorded as the Tom Russell Band. ‘Navajo Rug’ in many ways embodies all the hallmarks of the traditional cowboy song, albeit the modern variety, and yet in truth has little to do with cowboys, instead, this reflective love song with its joyous infectious melody is just another example of Russell’s storytelling craftsmanship. His descriptive eye for detail combined with a poet’s soul and a keen ear for melody, deceptively makes that which others toil a lifetime to achieve sound so effortlessly easy. The arrangement here, with its hypnotic pulse from the rhythm section again providing the perfect conduit, and the electric and pedal steel guitar weaving around each other as if having a private conversation, all contribute to enabling ‘Navajo Rug’ to sound as fresh and relevant as it first did 36 years ago.

Number 6: ‘Hair Trigger Heart’ (from “The Rose Of Roscrae” ,2015).

Taken from the album “The Rose Of Roscrae”, a sprawling and audacious western folk opera that formed the final part of a trilogy that had started with “The Man From God Knows Where”, in 1999, followed by “Hotwalker”, in 2005, ‘Hair Trigger Heart’, was one of the newly self-penned numbers amongst a mix of previously released tracks and traditional fare, some spoken, some sung, totalling no less than fifty-two songs. Despite the familiarity of many of the tracks, it was this particular number that stood out with its powerfully repetitive guitar riff that keeps the intensity to the max all the way to the chorus, while the lyrics embody Russell’s alter-ego opening with the line “Cowboys we are, Cowboys we will always be”. The scripted narrative may be imperative to the storyline, and its damaged hero, but in so many ways it is also autobiographical, depicting many of the characters that Russell has inhabited through his songs throughout his illustrious career. The song is full of classic one-liners, the sort most songwriters search a lifetime for, with one of the best being “They say trouble rides a fast horse, they say forgiveness rides a mule”. Never a syllable wasted or overused, the cinematic description always on point, portraying Russell at his very best.

Number 5: ‘Blue Wing’ (from “Poor Man’s Dream” ,1989).

So how many of you guessed that “Poor Man’s Dream” would be the album to contribute two songs to this list? ‘Blue Wing’ offers up a different setting from those cowboy songs with their Tex-Mex ambience so prevalent in many of the tracks already discussed. Instead, Russell’s narrative is situated in the early 1960s, focusing on the plight of a prisoner with a blue wing tattoo on his shoulder who spends his days reminiscing of a previous life in Alaska fishing for salmon in freezing temperatures, while sharing his cell with Little Willie John, once a great blues singer. Together they write a song, the lyrics forming the chorus here that opens with the heartbreaking line, “It’s dark in here, can’t see the sky, but I look at this blue wing and I close my eyes”. The following verses accompany the two ex-cons after parole and their struggles to survive in a world to which neither belongs, undoubtedly a song that pulls at the heartstrings. There is a yearning feel to the chorus as it continues “and I fly away beyond these walls, up above the clouds where there is no fall, on a poor man’s dream”, taking on an almost hymnal quality, reminiscent of those songs sung by slaves in the cotton fields or prisoners on death row. This may well be a sad song, and yet the infectiousness of the chorus lifts the spirits, confirming that nobody can write and deliver a sad song quite like Tom Russell. The version attached below is from the compilation album “Raw Vision”, released in 2005.

Number 4: ”The Light Beyond The Coyote Fence (from “Folk Hotel” ,2017).

Taken from “Folk Hotel”, the first album of new material since the Western folk opera of “The Rose Of Roscrae”, ‘The Light Beyond The Coyote Fence’, finds Russell expanding on his trademark mythical America, proving that his sagacious poetry is as much at home in the UK, and Europe as it is across the flatlands of Texas. The ambience here feels slightly different due partly to the open tuning of the finger-picked acoustic guitars that resonate with generous amounts of reverb in a style reminiscent of Stephen Stills. The initial familiarity of the reflective narrative and thoughts of long-lost friends deviates midway through the song as Russell reminds us “I’ve got a pocketful of guitar-picks, that’s my trade sir, suits me better than a gun or a blade mister”, as if in a sudden need to defend his choice of profession. The deviance continues as the track leaves the Interstate Motels of the U.S. where old broken guitar strings litter the floor, to the “road-stops upon that A1 motorway, the road to Scotland, the Angel of the North”. Throughout Russell’s career, he has proved himself the master storyteller, whether in the third person or inhabiting the characters of his songs. However, this track feels much more personal, removing the stage costume to reveal the bruises and scars gained from a life lived on the road, the lyrics reflective but never maudlin, and cutting all the deeper because of that.

Number 3: ‘Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall’ (from “Wounded Heart Of America” ,2007).

“Wounded Heart Of America” is essentially a tribute album consisting of 18 Tom Russell songs covered by a veritable who’s who of Americana music, including Johnny Cash, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, Iris Dement, Nanci Griffith, Jerry Jeff Walker, Doug Sahm, and Eliza Gilkyson. However, two newly penned numbers were performed by Russell towards the end of the album, ‘The Death Of Jimmy Martin’, and ‘Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall’. The latter opens with a burst of button accordion before a driving rhythm section and acoustic guitar quickly propels the track through its gears. At the same time, the subject matter focuses on the partial wall that separates the United States from Mexico, astutely written from the point of the unbiased observer. However, after first performing the track on the iconic ‘Late Night With David Letterman’ television show, a programme on which Russell made no less than five appearances, the track went viral, and he became the recipient of numerous death threats for what a large number of ill-informed viewers interpreted as a highly political song. This number is now nearly twenty years old, and yet, in today’s current climate, it feels more relevant than ever, and another defining example, if one were needed, of the sagacious craft in Russell’s poetic narratives.

Number 2: ‘Guadalupe‘ (from “Blood And Candle Smoke” ,2009).

Co-produced by Craig Schumacher and recorded at Wave Lab Studios in Tuscon with members of Calexico among others, “Blood And Candle Smoke”, sounded like nothing Russell had recorded before, singing and playing live with a band who required little direction, simply allowing themselves to inhabit the natural space that existed between the margins. The songs here transcended his usual tropes, possessing greater darkness and vulnerability, and yet are still as visually striking and inspired as ever, full of confessional poetry of which ‘Guadalupe’ was the jewel in the crown. The track itself is based around the story of a non-believer who experiences the sincerity of pilgrims visiting the shrine of ‘Our Lady Of Guadalupe’ in Mexico, and in doing so has the Virgin Mary answer his prayers with the wherewithal to convince the local bishop to build a church for the poor and oppressed. The contribution of backing vocals from Gretchen Peters adds a sense of depth and warmth to a song that she would later record on “One To The Heart, One To The Head”, a duet album with Russell released during the same year, and would eventually become a regular number during her live performances, practically making the song her own.

Number 1: ‘Gallo Del Cielo’ (from “Heart On A Sleeve” ,1984).

By the start of the 1980s Russell’s partnership with Patricia Hardin had come to an end. Having recorded two albums together, both receiving high critical acclaim but limited commercial success, the duo decided to go their separate ways with a disillusioned Russell drifting out of the music industry, eventually finding himself working as a taxi driver in New York. During this hiatus, he wrote what is now considered to be his signature song ‘Gallo Del Cielo’, which he sang to Robert Hunter, a lyricist with the Grateful Dead, who by chance was a passenger in Russell’s taxi. Hunter was suitably impressed and invited Russell to join him on stage at the city’s Bitter End venue, encouraging him to return full-time to the music business. Hunter would later perform ‘Gallo Del Cielo’ during his performance at the Glastonbury festival in 1981.

Although it has now been well over forty years since Russell wrote ‘Gallo Del Cielo’, first appearing on his 1984 debut solo album “Heart On A Sleeve”, the song has proved a template for his writing over the following decades. Opening with the trademark Spanish guitar and button accordion that would accompany the song for 6 minutes and 44 seconds as it gallops through the Mexican landscape telling the tale of Carlos Zaragoza and the fighting cock he stole intending to win enough money to buy back the land Pancho Villa had stolen from his father. Leaving home with nothing but a locket holding a picture of his sister framed in gold, through a multitude of verses Russell’s poetry tells of Zaragoza’s initial success, as Gallo Del Cielo, with his broken wing and one crazy eye rolling in his head, wins all his fights, until that fateful night outside the town of Santa Clara. It is storytelling of the highest order, that transports the listener to the very ringside of the fight, with the despairing screams of Zaragoza echoing in the mind long after the final notes of the accordion have ceased to resonate. Both Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen have been cited in claiming ‘Gallo Del Cielo’ one of their favourite songs, and there can hardly be a higher endorsement than that.