- Jun 11, 2014
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Founding Member
I remember first seeing Leon Russell live at the 1st Atlanta Pop Festival in 1969. This guy was an incredible talent. He wrote songs for a lot of musicians, and played with many more of every genre.
Rock on Leon.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/11/13/rocker-leon-russell-dies-in-nashville-at-74.html
Russell played keyboard for the Los Angeles studio team known as the Wrecking Crew, helping producer Phil Spector develop his game-changing wall of sound approach in the 1960s.
He wrote Joe Cocker's "Delta Lady" and in 1969 put together Cocker's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour, which spawned a documentary film and a hit double album.
As a musician, primarily a pianist, he played on The Beach Boys' "California Girls" and landmark "Pet Sounds" album, Jan and Dean's "Surf City," the Ronettes' "Be My Baby," and the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man." He also played guitar and bass.
Russell produced and played on recording sessions for Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Ike and Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones and many others. He arranged the Turners' "River Deep, Mountain High."
He recorded hit songs himself like "Tight Rope" and "Lady Blue" and participated in "The Concert for Bangla Desh." John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison played on his first album, "Leon Russell."
His concerts often ended with a rousing version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." In 1973, Billboard Magazine listed Russell as the top concert attraction in the world. About this time, he was the headline act on billings that included Elton John and at other times Willie Nelson.
He and Elton John released "The Union," a critically received duo album in 2010.
"He was a mentor, inspiration and so kind to me," Elton John said in a Facebook post Sunday. "Thank God we caught up with each other and made 'The Union'. He got his reputation back and felt fulfilled. I loved him and always will."
Russell, born in Lawton, Oklahoma, began as a nightclub piano player in Oklahoma at the age of 14, also backing touring artists when they came to town. Jerry Lee Lewis was so impressed with Russell that he hired Russell and his band for two years of tours.
He relocated to Los Angeles in 1959, where he became known as a top musician, and later to Nashville.
In the early 2000s he began his own record label, Leon Russell Records.
Rock on Leon.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/11/13/rocker-leon-russell-dies-in-nashville-at-74.html
Russell played keyboard for the Los Angeles studio team known as the Wrecking Crew, helping producer Phil Spector develop his game-changing wall of sound approach in the 1960s.
He wrote Joe Cocker's "Delta Lady" and in 1969 put together Cocker's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour, which spawned a documentary film and a hit double album.
As a musician, primarily a pianist, he played on The Beach Boys' "California Girls" and landmark "Pet Sounds" album, Jan and Dean's "Surf City," the Ronettes' "Be My Baby," and the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man." He also played guitar and bass.
Russell produced and played on recording sessions for Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Ike and Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones and many others. He arranged the Turners' "River Deep, Mountain High."
He recorded hit songs himself like "Tight Rope" and "Lady Blue" and participated in "The Concert for Bangla Desh." John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison played on his first album, "Leon Russell."
His concerts often ended with a rousing version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." In 1973, Billboard Magazine listed Russell as the top concert attraction in the world. About this time, he was the headline act on billings that included Elton John and at other times Willie Nelson.
He and Elton John released "The Union," a critically received duo album in 2010.
"He was a mentor, inspiration and so kind to me," Elton John said in a Facebook post Sunday. "Thank God we caught up with each other and made 'The Union'. He got his reputation back and felt fulfilled. I loved him and always will."
Russell, born in Lawton, Oklahoma, began as a nightclub piano player in Oklahoma at the age of 14, also backing touring artists when they came to town. Jerry Lee Lewis was so impressed with Russell that he hired Russell and his band for two years of tours.
He relocated to Los Angeles in 1959, where he became known as a top musician, and later to Nashville.
In the early 2000s he began his own record label, Leon Russell Records.
