Tom Rush on Club 47, No Regrets, and keeping folk music connected

Steve Yusko welcomes legendary singer-songwriter Tom Rush, tracing his influence from Cambridge’s Club 47 to the modern stage. Rush talks about mentoring younger artists, the changing music business, and the stories behind songs like No Regrets and Child Song.

Https://TomRush.com

In this interview: Tom Rush reflects on being introduced as a key figure in modern acoustic music, with roots in the early 1960s Club 47 scene and a career that helped usher in the singer-songwriter era.

Rush explains why he keeps bringing younger musicians into his shows and projects, from Harvard radio days to his current Rockport Sundays series and the planned Club 47 TV concept.
He shares how the old music industry worked when record labels could drive radio, TV, and retail, and how today’s artists need to be multi-skilled across performance, video, and social platforms.
Rush talks about Matt Nakoa, his current accompanist, praising him as a standout musician who plays piano, guitar, and writes for Broadway.
He breaks down the meaning of folk music as an oral tradition, describing folk songs as living material that changes from singer to singer and generation to generation.
The conversation digs into No Regrets, which Rush wrote after a weekend with Jill Lumpkin, and how the song grew into a standard recorded by many artists.
Rush recalls Child Song and how Murray McLaughlin’s writing moved him настолько deeply that it took months before he could perform it without getting emotional.
He discusses open tunings, his storytelling approach on stage, and how he showed Joni Mitchell open tunings early on.
Rush reflects on connection over perfection, saying audiences want to feel involved in the story rather than hear a technically flawless performance.
He looks back on opening for Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall in 2021, and the warmth and humor they shared onstage.

Explore the roots of the singer-songwriter era with this rare interview featuring an architect of modern acoustic music. Learn how one artist shaped a generation of songwriting with the 1968 release of The Circle Game.

Timestamps

00:00 - Technical setup, sound check, and introducing Tom Rush
03:25 - Why Rush’s career matters and the legacy of Club 47
05:23 - Matt Nakoa, accompaniment, and celebrating great sidemen
06:26 - How Rush has always helped younger artists get heard
07:53 - Rockport Sundays and the struggle for new musicians today
09:21 - The idea behind a Club 47 revival series
10:32 - What Club 47 felt like for blues legends and college audiences
12:50 - What folk music really means to Rush
14:09 - The emotional impact of Child Song
16:03 - Why some songs can’t be over-arranged
17:17 - Why Rush tells stories between songs
18:12 - Open tunings, Joni Mitchell, and musical cross-pollination
20:28 - How the music business changed after the record-label era
22:53 - Carly Simon on No Regrets
23:24 - The real-life story behind No Regrets
25:19 - The many versions of No Regrets
26:46 - Tom Rush, John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, and the songwriter lineage
27:14 - Opening for Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall
29:25 - Life in southern Maine and the Piscataqua River
30:01 - Why marine biology gave way to English literature and music
31:54 - How English lit shaped Rush’s sense of story
32:56 - How songs arrive when the muse shows up
35:06 - Audience connection over technical perfection
36:35 - Why live music still matters in a disconnected world
37:19 - Upcoming shows and final wrap-up
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