Artist: Thom Bishop
Lead Single: Here Comes The Night
Album: Train Leaving Dallas
Release Date: July 31st 2026
Acclaimed American songwriter, novelist and educator Thom Bishop opens an exciting new chapter in his remarkable career with the release of Train Leaving Dallas, a twelve-track album that blends six original songs with six carefully reimagined classics. Produced alongside longtime collaborator Billy Panda, the record reflects decades of songwriting experience while embracing the warmth, storytelling and musical spirit that Bishop has found through his growing connection with Ireland.
More than simply combining original material with cover songs, Train Leaving Dallas was built around a shared philosophy. Bishop and Panda, who have written, performed and recorded together for many years, wanted the original songs to carry the timeless quality of classic recordings while giving the covers a fresh contemporary perspective.
“We wanted the originals to sound like classics and the covers to feel fresh and new,” Bishop explains. “Plus, we just wanted to share some rock ‘n’ roll.”
The album’s six original songs were co-written while Bishop and Panda were both living in Nashville, while the six covers were selected from songs the pair had performed together over many years in clubs, concerts and festivals. The original material was recorded at Panda’s Studio P in Sarasota, Florida, while the cover versions began as intimate live-style performances recorded by Bishop alone with his Gibson L4 archtop guitar at Brian Shey’s home studio in Lyons, Colorado. Panda later expanded the arrangements, producing, engineering and performing the remaining instrumentation, with Executive Producer Grace McKay helping shape the finished record.
The album’s title track, Train Leaving Dallas, has already found success through recordings by vocalists Crystal Sands and Megon McDonough, making Bishop’s own recording a fitting centrepiece of the project.
Leading the release is Here Comes the Night, a fresh interpretation of Van Morrison’s classic. The idea came to Bishop while sitting in Galway one evening as darkness settled across the city.
“I had a guitar in my hands and thought, ‘What would be the perfect song to play in Ireland right now?’ My mind immediately went back to the first time I heard Van Morrison on American radio.”
Selected by Bishop, Panda and McKay as the album’s lead single, the recording captures the wider spirit of Train Leaving Dallas—honouring beloved songs while presenting them in a way that feels both familiar and completely renewed.
For Bishop, the album represents much more than another release. It continues a lifelong artistic journey that has taken him from folk clubs and anti-nuclear rallies to literary acclaim, near tragedy, spiritual awakening and now, a growing creative relationship with Ireland’s thriving music scene.
Originally from the United States and currently based in Colorado, Bishop has been spending increasing amounts of time in Ireland with his wife Michele while their daughter Simone studies at the University of Galway. What began as regular family visits soon became a powerful creative influence.
“In recent trips, I’ve become increasingly inspired by the Irish music scene,” says Bishop. “There’s something deeply emotional and authentic about the music culture there—from the buskers on the streets to the traditional songs echoing through pubs. It feels like a place where songs still matter.”
One moment especially stayed with him: Garth Brooks selling out Dublin’s Croke Park for five consecutive nights.
“The embrace of American music in Ireland struck me,” Bishop explains. “Combined with my own Irish heritage, it made me feel there was a real place there for my work.”
Over the course of his career, Bishop has shared stages with artists including John Prine, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Pete Seeger and David Allan Coe. He also wrote a song for the feature film About Last Night, unexpectedly earning a Number One hit in Malta.
Away from music, Bishop built an equally respected literary career under the pen name Junior Burke. He taught at Naropa University’s renowned Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman, eventually serving as Chair of the department. His novels, including The Cold Last Swim and Buddha Was a Cowboy, received widespread critical praise.
“I’ve written over a thousand songs,” Bishop says. “There are around two hundred I’m still proud to perform.”
One of the defining moments of his songwriting career came during his college years after reluctantly attending a dancehall performance in rural Illinois. Returning home that night, inspiration struck almost instantly, resulting in “Mr. Arthur’s Place”—the first song that truly felt like his own.
“That was the moment I understood songwriting wasn’t something I wanted to do,” he recalls. “It was something I needed to do.”
His work has earned praise from some of the industry’s most respected voices. Billboard described his music as “impressive, intelligent songcraft,” while author Paul Zollo wrote, “Like all great songs, they’re timeless.” The New York Times also recognised him as “a most appealing singer and composer.”
Beyond his artistic achievements, Bishop’s life has been shaped by resilience. A devastating flood destroyed his home in 2013, while a later near-fatal accident led him to reassess his priorities and deepen his commitment to creativity, spirituality and purpose.
Now influenced by meditation and Kriya Yoga, Bishop continues writing, recording and preparing the publication of Branches & Blades, a forthcoming collection of lyrics and reflections spanning his songwriting career.
With Train Leaving Dallas, Thom Bishop offers listeners a record built on authenticity, craftsmanship and enduring songwriting. Led by the evocative Here Comes the Night, the album celebrates both where Bishop has been and the creative future that continues to unfold.