A Bite of Leon Russell 🍪
The man who shaped the sound of classic rock
Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.
Enjoying the series? Support here to keep the good stuff coming 😊
• 3 min read •
I was a teenager the first time I heard Leon Russell
He was 69 and his long white beard was in its full splendor. I was 19 and my long yellow hair was overgrown and about to get the standard “off-to-college” trim. I’d saved up for years to see Bob Dylan as a high school graduation gift to myself and Russell was opening.
His music was new to me but felt distinctly familiar. Of course it did — I grew up listening to sixties and seventies rock, a genre & era of music he shaped arguably more than anyone else. Russell has been credited on 408 albums for everyone from The Beach Boys to Ray Charles to The Rolling Stones.
I was hearing his music even when I didn’t know it.
Leon Russell
The basics
🤝 American musician and songwriter
🤝 b. 1942 (Lawton, OK) - d. 2016 (Mt. Juliet, TN)
🤝 Known as “Music’s North Star” during the core years of classic rock, pioneered a distinct American sound that shaped the careers of musicians like George Harrison and Elton John
Why you should know him: Central to musical history, he collaborated with a who's who of music icons and was a star in his own right
If you like
✨ Willie Nelson
✨ Bob Dylan
✨ Tom Petty
✨ The Rolling Stones
✨ George Harrison
Known for
🏆 His charmingly gravelly voice (and wearing top hats)
🏆 The ultimate rock & roll session man
🏆 60-year career, nicknamed the “Master of Space and Time”
🏆 408 albums he received a credit for; recorded 430+ songs
🏆 6 gold records, 2 Grammy Awards, 7 Grammy nominations; in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Bite-sized facts
🍪 Born Claude Russell Bridges, had cerebral palsy from birth, partially paralyzed on his right side which created a limp that he was bullied for growing up
🍪 Developed a unique playing style that relied on his powerful left hand because of the nerve damage to his right side
🍪 Discovered by Jerry Lee Lewis at age 14 playing in local clubs; Lewis declared him the better piano player; took him and his band on the road
🍪 Known mostly as a session musician early in his career; played with Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Glen Campbell, the Rolling Stones, and more
🍪 Earned mainstream attention organizing & performing with Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour in 1970, included nearly 50 musicians
🍪 Had crippling bouts of stage fright, hated the spotlight but loved to create large musical families he kept close; bought a large house and had a bunch of friends living there, called it “the home for unwed musicians”
🍪 Built and owned Paradise Studios in Burbank, California; aired a weekly live television music show New Wave Theatre; used to make music videos from James Taylor and long format videos for Willie Nelson, J.J.Cale, Bonnie Raitt
Songs & dates
♫ 1970 His first hit song “The Letter” reaches #7 on the Hot 100
♫ 1973 Leon Live, a recording of a 1972 concert, becomes his 3rd U.S. gold album; further establishes his reputation as a top concert draw
♫ 1976 Russell & Barbra Streisand write “Lost Inside of You” A Star Is Born, receive a Grammy Nomination
♫ 1979 His duet with Willie Nelson, “Heartbreak Hotel,” goes #1 on Billboards country music chart; nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1979 Grammy Awards
♫ 2010 Gets a Grammy nomination for “If It Wasn’t for Bad” off his double album with Elton John, The Union (Russell's 6th gold album)
♫ 2018 One of his best-known songs “A Song for You” (1970) is added to the Grammy Hall of Fame; versions released by 40+ artists including Ray Charles and the Carpenters
He said
⭐ “I tend to freeze up around any situation that involves people watching me.”
Others on Leon
⭐ Pixies vocalist Black Francis credits Russell with influencing his vocal style: "I realize there's a certain kind of vocalizing I do that takes its cue from Leon Russell. He sang in a Southern accent but it was very blown-out and exaggerated, very free and loose."
⭐ One of his early fans, Elton John, said that Russell was a "mentor" and an "inspiration”; “I would not be where I am today without Leon Russell and Delaney & Bonnie, and the music you all made.”
My Leon Playlist
I gathered my fav Leon songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week 💗
Where to start
Performing at age 22
One of his earliest TV appearances in 1964
〰️
Leon Russell and Friends “Homewood Sessions”
An “unscripted and unrehearsed” one-hour TV special that aired in 1970
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
A Poem is a Naked Person (1974)
Directed by Les Blank, 1h29m runtime
Les Blank considered this free-form feature documentary about beloved singer-songwriter Leon Russell, filmed between 1972 and 1974, to be one of his greatest accomplishments. It's a work of rough beauty that serves as testament to Blank's cinematic daring and Russell's immense musical talents.
🍿 Watch on The Criterion Channel, Youtube, or Amazon
Like this?
If you enjoyed this post, “like” it & leave a comment! I notice and it makes me very happy 🥰
👀 Bonus: your engagement helps people find us in search engines, so taking a moment to say a few words makes a real difference!
If you like this
Please consider upgrading your free subscription to paid to support my work and get exclusive content 😊
“This post was worth a paid sub alone.”
Paid subscribers get a secret post every month. I open up, get personal, and share extra special music — and you help keep TSCML going.
What people are saying
〰️ “This is my favorite post yet.”
〰️ “I so love when you introduce new things to me.”
〰️ “Great great playlist. Honestly you have the best taste.”
A joyfully embarrassing playlist
I’ve never seen a cool workout playlist. I don’t think they exist. A workout playlist is inherently goofy, a collection of songs that get you 〰️in the zone〰️.
It’s personal like a sex playlist, not something we crave publicizing.
Full of music we feel motivated by, exercise playlists have an earnest quality that makes them oddly sweet, endearing, and yes, funny…
Explore
Meghan Mae on a deep, enduring friendship and a Y2K West Coast anthem — No. 033 - Sublime's “What I Got” changed my life
Music lover? Subscribe! It’s fun and free.
Real people, real stories
Join our community of music lovers and brighten up your week.
“I love getting those emails! My inbox is so bleak it brings so much joy!” - Olivia
“We need more things like this in the world!” - Paul
“Such a great idea, and so much better than just a song rec.” - Madeline
In an increasingly lonely world, This Song Changed My Life exists as an antidote to the sterility of the algorithm. Here you’ll find ultra-personal stories from real people all over the globe, gathered intentionally to make you feel more connected to others through music ❤️
Learn more about me and my other projects: check out my personal newsletter, Weirdly Good <3
I loved learning about this musician! The playlist is enjoyable and I'm learning that yes, we definitely know this guys influence on music if you just hear some of the songs. Enjoying the tunes this eclipsed Monday