Tom Rush's Circle: Joni, James & Cows

MANFRED, MASSACHUSETTS – James Taylor's nasal drawl crackled insistently across the telephone line from his Martha's Vineyard retreat. "I first heard Tom Rush about ten years ago and instantly became a big fan." He paused and cocked an ear in the direction of baby Sarah, just starting to cry in the background. "I copied and learned a lot of his arrangements, so I guess it's fair to say that Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences."