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Leon Russell is a true crossover artist who has
fashioned a career for himself through artful collaboration. An Oklahoma boy, Russell learned to
play classical piano at the tender age of three. At fourteen, he took up the trumpet
and formed his first band, lying about his age to sit in on bar
sessions. The Starlighters
enjoyed some early success touring with Jerry Lee Lewis. Russell emigrated to L.A. at
seventeen and found work on the club circuit. He also turned out to be a valuable
session man, sitting in with Dorsey Burnette and Glen Campbell. An ABC television gig followed when
he was asked to join the house band on a music variety program called Shindig!. In 1969, Russell scored his first
songwriting success when Joe Cocker recorded "Delta Lady". A year later, he unveiled his
eponymous solo debut, founding his own record label to do so. Shelter Records would go on to ink
deals with an eclectic mix of artists, including The Gap Band, Tom Petty,
and Phoebe Snow. Russell's
cohorts on this solo outing included one Who's Who of a back-up band:
Eric Clapton, George Harrison,
Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman, Charlie Watts, Steve Winwood, and Bill Wyman. In 1971, Russell and Harrison
collaborated again on Badfinger's "Day After Day", with Leon
providing those colourful piano flourishes and George tossing in his
signature slide-guitar riffs. It
was a short-lived session, as George bailed out midstream and asked Leon to
take part in the now legendary Concert For Bangladesh, where Russell gave
The Rolling Stones a run for their money with his cover of "Jumpin'
Jack Flash". Ironically,
he would wind up touring with the Stones before releasing his second solo
album, Carney. It provided Leon with his first hit,
"Tightrope", which peaked at #11 on the pop chart. The album itself went to #2 on the
Billboard Top 200. One of the
tracks, "This Masquerade", was later recorded by George Benson,
who won a Grammy for his soulful rendition of it. The song made history by becoming
the first song ever to go #1 on Billboard's Jazz, Pop, and R&B
charts. Russell's solo
success continued with 1975's Will
o' the Wisp, which went gold and yielded the top-twenty hit, "Lady
Blue". The object of his
affection was Mary McCreary, a background vocalist for Sly & The Family
Stone. They wed and
subsequently released the aptly titled LP The Wedding Album and 1977's Make Love to the Music.
Russell's career took a turn towards country in 1979 when he
hooked up with Willie Nelson for a tour and a subsequent LP, One for the Road. The album went gold and their remake
of "Heartbreak Hotel" won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group.
It was not Russell's first foray into country music. He had already recorded an album of
country music under the pseudonym Hank Wilson, an album that was coolly
received but nevertheless had several follow-ups. Around this time, Russell formed The
New Grass Revival, a bluegrass outfit that released a live album circa
1981. Twenty years later,
Russell joined forces with Earl Scruggs for a cover of "Foggy
Mountain Breakdown", which won a Grammy Award for Best Country
Instrumental Performance. He
continues to tour, often with his children, Sugaree, Teddy Jack, and Tina
Rose. In 2006, he was honoured
by The Bare Bones International Film Festival with a lifetime achievement
award, and was also inducted into The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Leon Russell has an extremely
devoted fan base, including the Internet group LeonLifers, for whom he
performed on 4th April, 2004.
Leon Russell
recordings
Lady Blue
(Leon Russell)
Sources:
1.
http://leonrussellrecords.com/memory_lane.shtml
2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Russell
3.
http://music.aol.com/artist/leon-russell/5327/biography
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