Russ Marsh is the eighth child in a family of ten. He has always been a lover of music as are his brothers and sisters. However, Russ has something special………he learned to play the guitar from his mother.

When she passed away, Russ was just 11 years old. This event seemed to intensify his desire to play guitar and sing. He practiced for hours on his neighbor’s guitar. Russ learned quickly and loved it more every day. A duly impressed ladies club presented him with his very own guitar when he was 12 years old.

When Russ was in Junior High, he and his sister Jacque were asked to sing on a local radio station. In High School, he entertained his classmates at assemblies and sometimes in class. Russ would say, “It helps relieve the anxieties brought on by boredom.”

As a young man in the Marine Corps, Russ sang for his comrades when and wherever he could, and sometimes in places he shouldn’t have! While serving his country, he wrote two very moving songs, “My Son, a Marine”, and “Who Cares About Me?”.

You can ask Russ who his favorite performers are, and he will name Hank Snow, Mario Lanza and Elvis Presley without hesitation. A connoisseur of music, he likes all types and can enjoy listening to classical as well as down home country.

Russ has had a lot of wonderful experiences in the years he has been performing. He was the winner of a four-state contest through KSOP Radio. Russ has had thirteen gigs at the World’s Fair, has shared the spotlight with Marty Robins, Mel Tillis, Roy Drusky, Billy Armstrong, Hank Thompson, Judy Lynn, Tex Williams, and also with the Jordanaires and the Smothers Brothers.

Russ has been named Utah Entertainer of the Year and has performed at benefits and charities around the state.

He was also invited to go to the White House where he sang a beautiful song that he composed, “America Forever.” Russ has a great love for his country, and it is truly expressed in this song. Another original song, “Don’t Tread On Old Glory” was read into the Congressional Record Sept. 12, 1989, by Senator Orrin Hatch. It was the first song to ever be read into the Congressional Record.

Another song which he composed, “I’m Walking in the Footsteps of Your Mind”, was the last request and final song played for Gary Gilmore, the first man to be executed in 25 years in Salt Lake City. The song was mentioned in the book “The Executioner’s Song” written by Norman Mailer.

Although making Americans proud of America is foremost in Russ’ thoughts, he also writes and sings about finding love, losing love, and finding it again. He writes about dreams fulfilled and bubbles burst, of love of neighbors, God, and country. He sings clear voiced and honest, with free flowing melodies and a can’t sit still beat.

Russ is also a down-home kind of guy. He loves people and has often said, “You learn a lot from traveling, and meeting people. I guess the most important thing is that people everywhere have a lot in common…their joys, their dreams, their tragedies, and their hope for a better tomorrow.”