When he performed it at the Black Sheep, half the crowd sang along:

Ay ay ay, Katy,
Shades of red and blue
Ay ay ay, Katy,
Whatever became of the Navajo rug and you.

It’s a great song. I had no idea he co-wrote it. They sang loud too. They were a dream audience. Russell also co-wrote the well-known “The Sound of One Heart Breaking” with Sylvia Tyson.

I took my camera but I didn’t get any pictures. I’ve never tried to take pictures in a bar before. I didn’t want to use flash, even though the guys at the front table were. I just set my camera for high ISO and went for it. But it didn’t work.

Maybe one of my blurry pics will give you an idea of the atmosphere at the Black Sheep. This is what it’s like in there:

My favourite song was “Stealing Electricity” off Russell’s latest CD, “Love and Fear.” He’s posted it on his MySpace page so you can listen to it if you want. Here’s the link to the page: http://www.myspace.com/russelltom. Like many of his songs, this is about life on the borderline between Texas and Mexico, around San Antonio where Russell lives.

I enjoyed the show a lot. I’d heard a couple of Russell’s CDs before, but I think you have to hear him live to get his sense of humour. He’s a good singer with a lot of energy. This night he was accompanied by a mandolin and guitar player named Michael Martin, also from San Antonio. It’s great to listen to a couple of guys who just love to play music.

Here’s an actual picture of Tom Russell so you won’t think he’s blurry in real life. This is from his website at http://www.tomrussell.com.