Tom Rush

The best sentence I've read about Tom Rush is in Mark Brend's book American Troubadours:

"Rush is, simply, a good singer, guitarist, interpreter and songwriter."

As you can see by the covers above, Rush's above-average talent extends to his autograph-signing technique. It's obvious from looking at these two autographs that Tom has signed these records before and has thought carefully about how to sign them and where to place his signature.

I love the classic shot of Tom lighting a cigarette in a New Jersey railroad yard with the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline in the background. Fittingly, I got these albums signed in the Brennan Coffee House in Jersey City, not far from where this shot was taken. The Brennan "Coffee House" is the lobby of the Justice William Brennan Court House, where they assemble tables and a makeshift stage and put on small concerts. They aren't allowed to sell alcoholic beverages because it is a government facility, but they are allowed to serve free glasses of wine and they actually do. It's not a bad place for an evening's entertainment and Tom Rush always puts on a great show, particularly if you get to hear him play "Mole's Moan."