Rush is considered a gifted musician and performer whose shows offer a musical celebration. His distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a lure to audiences around the world. His shows are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific story-telling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues.
Rush's impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the '60s and the renaissance of the '80s and '90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, "Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences." Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush with being one of his top five musical influences. Rush has long championed emerging artists. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor, and in more recent years his Club 47 concerts have brought artists such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences when they were just beginning to build their own reputations.
Rush began his musical career in the early '60s playing the Boston-area clubs while a Harvard student. The Club 47 was the flagship of the coffee house fleet, and he was soon holding down a weekly spot there, learning from the legendary artists who came to play, honing his skills and growing into his talent. He had released two albums by the time he graduated.
Rush displayed then, as he does today, an uncanny knack for finding wonderful songs, and writing his own - many of which have become classics re-interpreted by new generations. (It is testimony to the universality of his appeal that his songs have been folk hits, country hits, heavy metal and rap hits.) Signed by Elektra in 1965, Rush made three albums for them, culminating in The Circle Game, which, according to Rolling Stone, ushered in the singer/songwriter era.
In the early '70s, folk turned to folk-rock, and Rush, ever adaptable, saw more room to stretch out. Recording now for Columbia, he toured tirelessly with a five man band, playing concerts across the country. Endless promotional tours, interviews, television appearances, and recording sessions added up to five very successful but exhausting years, after which Tom decided to take a break and "recharge" his creative side at his New Hampshire farm.
Rush returned with a splash in 1981, selling out Boston's prestigious Symphony Hall in advance. Time off had not only rekindled Rush's love of music, it had re-ignited music audiences' love of Rush's music.
He instinctively knew that his listeners were interested in both the old and the new, and set out to create a musical forum - like the Club 47 of the early '60s - to allow established artists and newcomers to share the same stage. In 1982, he tried it out at Symphony Hall. The show was such a hit it became an annual event, growing to fill two, then three nights, and the Club 47 series was born. Crafting concerts that combined well known artists such as Bonnie Raitt or Emmylou Harris with (then) unknowns like Alison Krauss or Mark O' Connor, Rush took the show on the road. From the '80s to the present day, Club 47 events have filled the nation's finest halls to rave reviews, and have been broadcast as national specials on PBS and NPR.
In 1999, Columbia/Legacy released a Tom Rush retrospective album that covered his recorded musical history from 1962 to the present, including tracks recorded for Columbia, Elektra, Prestige and his independent years. Entitled "The Very Best of Tom Rush: No Regrets", the 17-track compilation includes as a bonus a brand new Tom Rush composition, "River Song," which features vocal contributions from Grammy winners Shawn Colvin and Marc Cohn.
A live CD, "Trolling for Owls" released in 2003 and published by Tom's NIGHTLIGHT RECORDINGS, captures a complete performance and includes, for the first time, some of the spoken stories that have endeared him to audiences.
In 2018, at age 79, he released the album "Voices".
Windy Bill
Tom Rush Lyrics
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Pretty girls are swimming in the sea
Oh they look like sisters in the ocean
The boy will fill his pail with salted water
And the storms will blow from off towards New Orleans
The sun shines on Biloxi
The air is filled with vapors from the sea
He sees creatures from a dream under the water
And the sun will set from off towards New Orleans
The stars can see Biloxi
The stars can find their faces in the sea
We are walking in the evening by the ocean
We are splashing naked in the water
And the sky is red from off towards New Orleans
The song Windy Bill by Tom Rush paints a vivid picture of life in Biloxi, Mississippi. The lyrics describe the natural beauty of the coastal town and the innocence of childhood. The opening lines describe the pretty girls swimming in the sea, each looking like sisters in the vast ocean. The image of a young boy filling his pail with salted water and the storms blowing from New Orleans creates a sense of peace and tranquility mixed with the anticipation of a potential danger.
In the second verse, Rush describes the sun shining on Biloxi, filling the air with vapors from the sea, and a young boy digging a pool beside the ocean. The boy sees creatures from a dream under the water, transporting listeners into his imagination. The sun setting from off towards New Orleans gives us a sense of direction and a destination beyond this idyllic town.
The final verse talks about walking in the evening by the ocean, enjoying nature's beauty, and splashing naked in the water. The sky turning red from off towards New Orleans and the stars finding their faces in the sea remind us of the beauty and grandeur of nature.
Overall, Windy Bill is a beautiful song that captures the essence of coastal living, childhood joys, and the power of nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Down around Biloxi
In the area of Biloxi
Pretty girls are swimming in the sea
Attractive females are bathing in the ocean
Oh they look like sisters in the ocean
The girls resemble each other while in the water
The boy will fill his pail with salted water
A young male will gather seawater in a container
And the storms will blow from off towards New Orleans
Weather disturbances will come from the direction of New Orleans
The sun shines on Biloxi
Biloxi is receiving sunlight
The air is filled with vapors from the sea
There are sea mist or fog particles in the atmosphere
And the boy will dig a pool beside the ocean
The boy will construct a hole for water besides the sea
He sees creatures from a dream under the water
He observes imaginary beings beneath the surface
And the sun will set from off towards New Orleans
The sun will descend in the direction of New Orleans
The stars can see Biloxi
The celestial bodies have a view of Biloxi
The stars can find their faces in the sea
The stars' images can be reflected in the ocean
We are walking in the evening by the ocean
We are strolling along the shore during nighttime
We are splashing naked in the water
We are jumping into or playing in the water without clothes
And the sky is red from off towards New Orleans
The sky has a red hue in the direction of New Orleans
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JESSE WINCHESTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind