Legendary folk artist Tom Rush in plays Anchorage on Saturday

As a child, Tom Rush’s parents forced him to take piano lessons. Although this would be Rush’s first indoctrination into the world of music, the aspiring musician recalls that the lessons were torture. “I think my parents and teacher were just lucky that they weren’t harmed in the process of me learning to play,” jokes Rush. But when an older cousin introduced him to the ukulele, Rush was hooked.

“In my eyes, my cousin was a superstar,” explains Rush. “He had this trick where he could take a lit cigarette, flip it back in his mouth and dive into the swimming pool. I mean, how cool is that?”

The ukulele eventually gave way to the guitar as Rush found himself surrounded by 1950s rock’n’roll. For a time, a teenage Rush dreamed of rockstardom. However, a trip outside of his native New England exposed him to guitarist and songwriter, Josh White.

“When I first heard a Josh White record, it knocked my socks off! I’d never heard someone play the guitar like that, and I knew instantly that that was the kind of music I wanted to make,” says Rush.

Rush found his niche performing as part of various folk trios until he matriculated at Harvard University in 1961. In Cambridge, Rush soon learned that his folk hero, and by extension himself, were too commercial. According to Rush, folk music was defined by living in remote cabins in the woods and making your own instruments out of whatever was around. Luckily for Rush, this antiquated notion of folk music would give way to a broader spectrum of sounds and looks.

“I think people started to figure out that [folk] wasn’t marketable in such a narrow scope. I was just lucky enough to be on the cusp of things changing,” says Rush.

While still an undergraduate at Harvard, Rush assumed a regular spot at local hootenannies and the prestigious Club 47. After cutting his teeth in Cambridge, Rush signed with Elektra Records in 1965. He would produce three albums under the label, culminating in “The Circle Game,” which Rolling Stone dubbed the ushering in of the singer/songwriter era. But Rush was only getting started. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and James Taylor, while also influencing country superstar Garth Brooks.

“I’ve always been the kind of artist who likes to collaborate, and I think I have a pretty good ear for good music,” explains Rush casually. “Even back in Cambridge, nothing made me happier than introducing audiences to new music. When people can go home saying, ‘Wow! I had never heard of that person before, but they were really good,’ it was a good night.”

Although Rush is now in his 80s, he shows no signs of slowing. Every Sunday, the legend performs for a paid audience via his website, TomRush.com.

“Originally, I turned to online shows as a way to cope with the pandemic. Then I started having a lot of fun with it and am excited to keep it going. It’s a little bit of storytelling and a little bit of music, and of course, a lot of fun,” says Rush.

You can catch Tom Rush live at the Sydney Laurence Theatre on Saturday, September 17 at 7:30pm. He will be accompanied by Seth Glier and Monica Rizzo. Tickets are available at CenterTix.com and start at $50.