Tom Prasada Rao writes songs of extraordinary power, evoking his Indian heritage and his love of R&B. A musician’s musician, an award-winning songwriter, teacher and producer – Tom joyfully returns to the stage in the midst of chemotherapy with a bunch of new songs in his head.

He was formerly the songwriting teacher at the University of Virginia’s Young Writer’s Workshops, where he created the songwriting curriculum. He has been featured on the nationally syndicated TV show Troubadour Texas.

Mike Joyce, of the Washington Post, wrote, “The most moving, pointed and memorable songs reflect Prasada-Rao’s indebtedness to Bruce Cockburn, Bob Dylan, and Richard Thompson, and other singer songwriters who have something to say, and a distinctive way of saying it.”

After fifteen years in Texas,  Tom recently returned home to Washington, DC, where he has been a fixture on the singer-songwriter scene since winning the Kerrville New Folk songwriting competition in 1993.

Tom has headlined major festivals and played some of the nation's most revered stages. He has performed with Janis Ian, Peter Yarrow, Michael Hedges, Ani Difranco, Odetta, and many others.

He's also been my friend for a lot of years. Tom and I have swapped songs around Texas campfires, recorded together in New Jersey in the early nineties, when he contributed his perfect harmonies to my third album, Hard Earned Smile, and spent many beautiful days co-creating my most recent album, The Other Way Around, which he co-produced with Chris Rosser.

The word 'mahatma' is often associated with Mohandes Gandhi, and many people seem to think it was his first name. In fact, the word means "great soul." If ever I've met one, Tom is a mahatma.  

We are going to talk about music, love, chemo, and healing. I hope you can join us for the conversation.  It is sure to be nourishing. Conversations with Tom always are.

Sustaining Our Spirits #20 - Tom Prasada-Rao, singer/songwriter