Geez… 2016 – what a year! Now Leon Russell has passed.
Leon Russell was not just a rock star but a sideman and session musician – meaning one of those guys whose name, especially back in the early ‘60s, didn’t appear on the records. He went from straightlooking studio guy multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who played on hundreds of songs - including many by the biggest rock stars of the day - as one of the top studio musicians in LA - to a longhaired and long bearded rootsy rock’n’rollers making hits on his own, and writing songs that became hits for others.
He was in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound Orchestra (playing on Ike & Tina’s "River Deep Mountain High" and countless other classic hits), led Joe Cocker’s band Mad Dogs & Englishmen, appeared at George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for Bangladesh with Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, played sessions for Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Sam Cooke and the Monkees among many others. You’ll hear his piano playing on the Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man”, the Rolling Stones’ “Live With Me”, Badfinger’s “Day After Day” and all of the Beach Boys’ early records, including Pet Sounds. He produced and played on Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and “Watching the River Flow.” He wrote “Superstar” – a smash hit for the Carpenters and – here in Australia – Colleen Hewett, Joe Cocker’s hit “Delta Lady” and George Benson’s hit “This Masquerade”. Elton John considered him a hero and mentor. More than 100 artists have recorded his song “A Song for You” which appeared on his first solo album from 1971.
Of course Leon had massive solo success on record – classic albums like Carny and Tightrope and brilliant tracks like "Stranger in a Strange Land”, “Queen of the Roller Derby” and “Lady Blue” - and touring with his band the Shelter People in the early-to-mid ‘70s, whilst his alter-ego Hank Wilson simultaneously worked the country market. He worked with Willie Nelson late in the ‘70s, and focused more on country from the ‘80s onwards. By the turn of the century he was seen as an genre-crossing icon. In 2009 he returned to the charts with “The Union” a double album credited equally to Russell and Elton John, and produced by T-Bone Burnett.
You get the idea...
Leon Russell was a musicians’ musician, and although he wasn’t quite a household name like some of the musical company he kept, he was an influential (and certainly unforgettable) presence who certainly deserved to run with the big dogs.
Here’s an early one from Leon that kinda sums up a lot of things really. Dig “Trying to Stay ‘live”, from Leon and Marc Benno, off their Asylum Choir II collection from 1971.
...and we’ve just updated our Heavy Soul playlist to include a bit more From Leon too. Check it out here.
- DL & RB
