Leon Russell

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Leon Russell

Background information
Birth name	Claude Russell Bridges
Born	April 2, 1942 (1942-04-02) (age 66) Lawton, Oklahoma
Genre(s)	Country, Rock, Folk, R&B
Occupation(s)	Solo artist, session musician, composer
Instrument(s)	Piano, organ, guitar, vocals
Years active	1960s-present
Label(s)	Capitol
Associated acts	Glen Campbell, Joe Cocker, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Rolling Stones, Dave Mason, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Beach Boys, Willie Nelson

Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2, 1942 in Lawton, Oklahoma, United States) is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist. Russell attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is occasionally referred to as "The Master of Space and Time," a title he acquired around the time of his collaborations with Joe Cocker.

First known mostly as a session musician, Russell has played with artists as varied as Jerry Lee Lewis, Phil Spector, Joe Cocker, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, BB King, Freddie King, Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, The Beach Boys, Willie Nelson, Badfinger, Tijuana Brass, J.J. Cale, Frank Sinatra, The Band, Marc Benno, Edgar and Johnny Winter, Glen Campbell, Gary Busey, and The Rolling Stones. With a solo career spanning the genres of rock, blues, and gospel, Russell began his musical career at 14 in Tulsa nightclubs. Two years later, after settling in Los Angeles, he studied guitar with James Burton, and worked sessions with Dorsey Burnette and Glen Campbell.

After becoming a part of Phil Spector's studio group, Russell played backup on many of the most popular hits of the 1960s, including The Byrds, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and Herb Alpert. He also served as Snuff Garrett's assistant on numerous productions. Russell built his own recording studio in 1967, and recorded his first LP, Look Inside the Asylum Choir, in a collaboration with Marc Benno.

His first songwriting hit was Joe Cocker's 1969 version of "Delta Lady", and Russell went on to organise Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. The Russell-written "Superstar", sung by Rita Coolidge on that tour, would go on to be a big hit by The Carpenters, Luther Vandross, and others. Shortly thereafter, Russell released a solo album, Leon Russell, which included the original version of the popular "A Song for You". Also in 1970, Russell played piano on Dave Mason's album, Alone Together (notably, on the song "Sad and Deep as You").

During the 1960s and 1970s, Russell owned the Church Recording Studio on 3rd Street in Tulsa, which is now owned by Glen Mitchell and one-time Russell studio engineer Steve Ripley of the country band The Tractors. Russell still records there frequently, while his former home on Grand Lake, in northeast Oklahoma, still contains the famous dining room table and chairs made from church pews from his Church Studio. On the property stands a private recording studio that has seen many famous names, including members of The Beatles.

In the summer of 1971 Russell was asked by George Harrison to play piano on Badfinger's third album, Straight Up. The piano which complements George Harrison's slide guitar on Badfinger's radio hit "Day After Day" is played by Leon from those Apple sessions. The sessions were interrupted because many of the musicians on Straight Up left for New York City to participate in the Concert For Bangladesh, organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, at which Russell performed a memorable medley of the songs "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Young Blood".

Also in 1971 Russell played on recording sessions with B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan. He also released two studio albums under his own name that year, Leon Russell And The Shelter People and Asylum Choir II. Further, Russell helped Freddie King to revive his career by collaborating with him on three of his albums for Shelter in early 1970s.

In 1972, his album Carney reached #2 on the charts, fueled by the hit single "Tightrope". In addition, the LP contained a tune called "This Masquerade" that the Carpenters also recorded, and years later, would win a Grammy for George Benson.

During the '70s, Russell continued to occasionally perform at the Paradise Club along with other noted music spots around Tulsa. He surprised his fans one night by performing with Flash Eddy and the Eclectics at the Paradise.

His 1975 album Will O' the Wisp was commercially successful, along with its single "Lady Blue". Gailard Sartain, fondly remembered by Tulsans as Mazeppa Pompazoidi (a Saturday night movie host, joined many times by Gary Busey), did the cover artwork for the LP.

Later that year, Russell married Mary McCreary, a former member of Sly & the Family Stone's background vocal group Little Sister. The two collaborated on The Wedding Album in 1976. In 1977, Russell and McCreary reunited for another album. Russell and Willie Nelson had a number one duet on the Billboard country music charts in 1979 with the Elvis Presley classic "Heartbreak Hotel". He spent the next two years touring with the New Grass Revival, and released two more albums with Paradise before the label folded.

For several years, Russell stayed largely out of the music spotlight, releasing Anything Can Happen in 1992, then two more albums in 1998 and 1999. He continues to tour at the age of 65. His bassist, Jack Wessel, has been with Russell close to 25 years. His son with McCreary, Teddy Jack (named after Gary Busey's character on Sartain's show), has also toured with his father, as have his sisters Tina Rose and Sugaree Noel.

[edit] Discography

1966 Rhapsodies for Young Lovers - Leon Russell/ Midnight string quartet
1968 Look Inside the Asylum Choir - Leon Russell/Marc Benno
1970 Leon Russell - Leon Russell
1971 Leon Russell And The Shelter People - Leon Russell
1971 Asylum Choir II - Leon Russell/Marc Benno
1972 Carney - Leon Russell
1973 Leon Live (triple live album) - Leon Russell
1973 Hank Wilson's Back - Leon Russell
1973 Leon Russell, Looking Back - Leon Russell/Various Wrecking Crew.
1974 Stop All That Jazz - Leon Russell
1975 Will O' the Wisp - Leon Russell
1976 Best of Leon Russell [DCC/Shelter] - Leon Russell
1976 Wedding Album - Leon & Mary Russell
1977 Make Love to the Music - Leon & Mary Russell
1978 Americana - Leon Russell
1979 Willie & Leon - Leon Russell
1979 Life and Love - Leon Russell
1981 The Live Album - Leon Russell & New Grass Revival
1984 Hank Wilson, Vol. 2 - Leon Russell
1984 Solid State - Leon Russell
1989 Leon Russell [Bonus Tracks] - Leon Russell
1992 Anything Can Happen - Leon Russell
1992 Crazy Love - Leon Russell
1992 Collection - Leon Russell
1995 Hymns of Christmas - Leon Russell
1996 Gimme Shelter: The Best of Leon Russell - Leon Russell
1997 Retrospective - Leon Russell
1998 Hank Wilson, Vol. 3: Legend in My Time - Leon Russell
1999 Face in the Crowd - Leon Russell
1999 Blues: Same Old Song - Leon Russell
2000 Live at Gilley's - Leon Russell
2001 Best of Leon Russell [EMI-Capitol Special Markets] - Leon Russell
2001 Guitar Blues - Leon Russell
2001 Signature Songs - Leon Russell
2001 Rhythm & Bluegrass: Hank Wilson, Vol. 4 - Leon Russell & The Newgrass Revival
2002 Moonlight & Love Songs (with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra) - Leon Russell
2006 A Mighty Flood - Leon Russell
2006 Angel In Disguise - Leon Russell
2008 In Your Dreams - Leon Russell