Consummate musician and songwriter Tom Rush takes the stage at the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor on Friday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. Rush's last appearance on the historic stage was in 2010.

A year later, he recorded the CD/DVD marking his 50th year as a recording artist in a live performance at Boston's Symphony Hall entitled, “Tom Rush Celebrates 50 Years of Music.” The event, held December 28, 2012, included an impressive array of friends and musicians, including David Bromberg, Jonathan Edwards, Dom Flemons, Trevor Veitch and Buskin Batteau.

Rush's concert at the Opera House will blend new and old tunes, some from the “50 years” recording. Rush said he selects songs he believes are audience favorites and at most shows these include “No Regrets,” “Child Song,” and “Urge For Going.”

The latter was written by Joni Mitchell, but recorded first by Rush along with Mitchell's “The Circle Game,” which became the title of his 1968 LP. The record also featured covers of songs written by two others who, along with Mitchell, went on to become icons in their own rite, James Taylor and Jackson Browne.

How many times have you gone to a concert knowing you'd be hearing new material, but hoping to hear that performer or band do some of the “old stuff?” You know, those songs you never got to hear when they were new, but always wished to hear live. Hopefully we'll also be hearing blues classics like “Who Do You Love,” and “Statesboro Blues;” “Drop Down Mama,” “Hobo's Mandolin,” “The Dreamer” and “The Memory Song.”

Rush has performed a mix of original and cover songs from the beginning. When he writes, his muse speaks in different ways. He's come a long way from his first blues tune, back in the early 1960's called “Julie's Blues.” Rush said it was 50 percent floating blues lines (lyrics that recur in a lot of blues tunes).

“There's no hard and fast rule,” Rush said. “Usually there's a scrap of lyrics along with some music, and then I try to flesh out the melody and finish the lyrics. The better ones just kind of flow, the harder I have to work at some thing the less feeling it has in the end.”

Folk music has long been synonymous with storytelling and folk music performers like Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez are known for taking political stances on some of the social issues of our times.

Rush says he's never been a protester; he prefers to sing and write songs that affect him on an emotional level. But his 2009 LP, “What I Know,” included two songs that touched on issues: immigration law in “East of Eden,” and life after war for our veterans in “All A Man Can Do.”

“They were two good songs, I was drawn to them because they were good and they make the case for immigration and vets,” Rush said. “It's where Dylan was effective. By taking an issue and boiling it down to one person or one family and telling their story. It's difficult to write compelling songs about immigration policy or tax codes, but you can write a good song about people, an individual person. That captures our (the public's) attention more than an abstract problem.”

Rush prefers to convey his songs with an acoustic guitar. He has played sax and piano (his parents made him), but they never did for him what the guitar does. First, he explained (and not in an entirely serious way) it's “the only instrument I know how to play at this point.” He also said the guitar's easier to carry around — not as easy as a harmonica — but, easy nonetheless.

“It's an instrument you can have fun playing a lot quicker than other instruments,” Rush said. “Once you learn three chords you can play 90 percent of all songs. With others, like the violin, sax or piano, it can take years.”

The songs Rush plays on his guitar are those filled with imagery and emotion: you can see it, feel it, hear it, and become one with the situation or scene in the telling.

“It's more of a visceral thing with me. Some songs just grab me ... As you can tell by my choice of songs, I'm a bit schizophrenic with Bo Diddley and Joni Mitchell back-to-back,” Rush said with a chuckle.

After 50 years, it's safe to say we Tom Rush fans don't mind a bit. In fact, we wouldn't have him any other way.

For more information, visit www.tomrush.com.

Tickets are still available for the Opera House show on May 16. Visit the venue online at www.boothbayoperahouse.com or through the box office at 207-633-5159.