October in the Railroad Earth

Tom Russell’s latest recording of original compositions, October in the Railroad Earth, is set for CD and vinyl release March 15, 2019, on Frontera Records in North America and Proper Records for the rest of the world. He describes the songs and sound as “Jack Kerouac meets Johnny Cash in Bakersfield.”
Bill Kirchen is featured on lead electric guitar, Eliza Gilkyson adds vocals, and the Grammy® Award-winning Texmaniacs appear on “Isadore Gonzalez,” about a Mexican cowboy who died in England during a performance of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The record contains nine other originals, including the title song from the Irish film Small Engine Repair, and a cover of the traditional “Wreck of the Old 97.”
October in the Railroad Earth follows the acclaimed 2017 Frontera/Proper album Folk Hotel and Russell’s tribute to Ian & Sylvia on True North Records, Play One More, both receiving worldwide acclaim. Between major releases in 2018, Russell recorded the Bruce Springsteen track “Across The Border” for the three-disc Appleseed Records anniversary sampler, Roots and Branches, and issued a re-recording of early classics on Frontera, Old Songs Yet To Sing.

Russell’s previous album of new original material was the 2015 “folk opera” that Thom Jurek of allmusic.com hailed as Tom’s masterpiece, The Rose of Roscrae. Named “The top folk album of 2015” by Mojo magazine, Roscrae was also lauded as “maybe the most important Americana record of all time” by UK Folk. The album was included in top ten lists of dozens of publications, including the Los Angeles Times.

In 2007, on one of Russell’s five appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, he debuted the controversial “Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall?” which has since gone viral.

Tom Russell’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Doug Sahm, Nanci Griffith, k.d. lang, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Dave Alvin, Iris DeMent, Dave Van Ronk, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Joe Ely, Tom Paxton, Ian Tyson, and Joe Ely, among many others.
Tom Russell graduated from the University of California with a Master’s degree in Criminology and taught Sociology in Nigeria during the Biafran War.
 Quick News
The Rainbow Man has carted off nine new paintings to his Santa Fe gallery which include "Criminology," "Juarez Blues," "Mexican Be Bop," "Guadalupe," "Sacred Heart," "Cows in Agave," "Horse on the Rails" (the last train poster painting) and "Billie Holiday," his web (?) is and the email for info is ranboMn@aol.com contact Bob.

The stories on the new album, "Blood and Candle Smoke," are slowly being unveiled in blog discussions by Tom at www.russelltom.blogspot.com and we are paying added attention to the Face Book with new photos: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Russell/23428354936

Those final seats on the Great Southwestern September Train with Gretchen Peters, Paul Zarzyski, Wylie Gustafson, Sourdough Slim, Tom Russell and anyone with the heart to lug their guitar along....can be bartered for at trains@sover.net Barry Walsh of the Box Tops and formerly with Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings has agreed to bring a keyboard along and run the open mikes! Call now 866-484-3669