120 Songs

by Tom Russell

Singer, songwriter, painter, essayist... Tom Russell is known as one of the most compelling performers in the world, and is recognized as a master American lyricist. And now, with 120 Songs , Russell presents his first-ever collection of lyrics, handpicked and individually introduced, and complemented by a set of his original woodcut illustrations. From classics like “Blue Wing,” “Gallo del Cielo,” “Navajo Rug,” and “Outbound Plane,” to newer songs like “Guadalupe,” and “Who”s Gonna Build Your Wall?” this volume is the only available anthology, in print, of all of Russell’s finest songs and unpublished rarities. Each song includes an introduction and guitar chords, and the main introduction also includes details of Russell’s brief encounters with Bob Dylan and the Beatles. “Tom Russell is Johnny Cash, Jim Harrison and Charles Bukowski rolled into one. I feel a great affinity with Tom Russell’s songs, for he is writing out of the wounded heart of America.”
Lawrence Ferlinghetti “The best songwriter of my generation…raises and sets the bar for contemporary singer-songwriters. “
Mike Regenstreif
Montreal Gazette “Tom Russell is an original, a brilliant songwriter with a restless curiosity and an almost violent imagination.”
Annie Proulx “I so admire his work. It’s fine craft, and posey, none of which dwarfs its embracing humanity and urgings.”
Van Dyke Parks
“The most powerful voice on the contemporary folk circuit…”
Boston Globe
“The greatest living country songwriter…he’s written songs that capture the essence of America. A trait that can only be matched by the country’s greatest novelists….”
John Swenson
Rolling Stone “The lyrics are jewels.”
Robert Hunter
Grateful Dead Lyricist

326 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2012

Reviews

[Rod Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The man writes great lyrics which seem to find my emotional resonant frequency on a regular basis. I was fascinated by the backstories given for each one. Tom sings harmony on Gretchen Peter's cover of his song 'Guadalupe': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrV5q... Beautiful.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Russell is a great songwriter, and I devoured this collection of lyrics and guitar chords for his best songs with great enthusiasm. Russell provides the back story for each song, giving insight into both his life and his creative process.