Sue Young's pure voice and Rusty Nelson's rough edged vocals combine in a perfect blend. This Folk and Americana duo from Austin, Texas has been collaborating since 2010. Their songs and sound evoke a simpler time; a drive down a country road, a wade in a creek, a ferryboat ride across the Mississippi.
Sue Young's voice has been called "angelic" and "powerful medicine". Growing up in a musical family, Sue cut her teeth on Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Judy Collins. Along with a pristine voice and perfect pitch, Sue developed a distinctive finger picking style. The combination got her steady work at clubs and restaurants in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. In 1985, Sue moved to Austin and turned her attention to writing songs. Her efforts were rewarded and she became a four time Kerrville New Folk Finalist. During this time, Sue started writing inspirational songs and singing in churches throughout Texas. She also began teaching music and Spanish to kids, which led to a vibrant career as a children's entertainer and landed her on the Texas Commission On The Arts Artist Roster. Her 2012 CD "Gliding" returned to her folk roots and earned her a 2013 Texas Music Awards Nomination for Female Vocalist Of The Year.
Rusty Nelson grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana and in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 1989, he was minding his own business working in the advertising business in Austin when he started writing songs. A year later, Rusty signed a writing deal with a Texas based publisher that had connections to Nashville. In 1996 he took the plunge and moved to Nashville. In 2002, he returned to Austin, feeling pretty much done with music. Rusty got his life back through an intense yoga practice, and found his way to a church where Sue sang regularly.
In 2009, Rusty approached Sue after a Sunday service. With a lyric in hand, he asked Sue if she might be interested in a song that he had started. Not long after that meeting, Sue and Rusty teamed up to write together and the results were magical. Soon they were performing together, bringing their unique songs and chemistry to the stage, and Young and Rusty was born. They’ve sung in house concerts, festivals, coffeeshops, and breweries . Their 2014 debut EP “Backroad Love” made the Folk DJ charts and their second release “Comeback Coming On” debuted at #21 on the Folk DJ charts and was a Top Album in September of 2017.
Praise for “Back Road Love”
“… a breath of fresh air. Clean harmonies, interesting lyrics, diverse tempos and clever chord progressions keep the musical notes flowing in a positive direction… these tracks are dressed for a ball, keeping unrequired overproduction to a minimum, as the songs speak for themselves. From Irish flavored toe tappers like ‘Back Road Love’ to love song ‘Take Me’, the record is polished and tight.”
Tom Tranchilla, Songwriter Studio, KPFT FM
“Great songs, great playing… it’s a joy to listen to.”
Noel Casey, After Midnight, Dublin City FM
Praise for “Comeback Coming On”
“Another gorgeous album by Young & Rusty! We picked their last album as a top album of 2014, and it looks like this one is headed in the same direction.”
Al Kineola, The Back Porch, WVPE FM
“A recommended release featuring Young & Rusty’s solid harmonies and musicianship, with a mix of original songs and Texas standards looking at love, loss, and the human condition.”
Taylor Caffery, Hootenanny Power, WRKF FM
