Leon Russell

Leon Russell is the golden boy of Oklahoma rockers from the 60’s and 70’s. His main weapon of choice was the piano, but he was known to get absolutely wicked on the guitar when he wanted to. Deeply rooted in country, blues and early rock, Russell moved from Tulsa to L.A. in the early 60’s. Russell went on to play a key role in a selective group of top studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. He played on recordings from a wide spectrum of artists including the Byrds, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and George and Ringo from The Beatles.

Leon received his first big exposure to the public when he was asked to be the musical director for Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour in 1970. Cocker had just killed at Woodstock the previous summer and was in high demand for live shows. The Cocker tour was also filmed and released as a movie. Leon had a very high profile role on the tour as leader of a 20-piece rock and roll band. Immediately after the success of the Mad Dog tour, Leon was doing session work for the Beatles’ Apple Records. It was during this time that Russell started to record his first solo project. He used his connections with the Beatles and Rolling Stones well. Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Kieth Richards, and Charlie Watts (guitarist and drummer from the Stones) all played on the album. Eric Clapton also got a few licks on it too.

Leon kept the ball rolling with his performances with George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan during the Concert for Bangladesh that Harrison organized to raise money for the impoverished country. The Concert was a huge success and an album and documentary film were also released. Once again Leon gained attention by the large role he played during the concert. He played bass for Dylan, and had a raunchy set where he jammed out a ten minute plus medley of Jumping Jack Flash/Youngbloods. By this time he was a sort of sensation within the rock community of the early 70’s.

By 1972, he had moved back to Tulsa and bought a huge mansion in an old oil money neighborhood and had matching Rolls Royce’s in the garage. He also had another mansion out at Grand Lake. He had his personal studio set up there and started to go to work. He went to Nashville in ’73 and hired all the old time session musicians that nobody in the country music industry were working with at the time. The result was a concept album in which he took on an alter ego of Hank Wilson-a honky-tonk crooner. Leon Russell is a great rock n' roller from Oklahoma, check him out!

Here is a sick sick sick jam with Leon on lead. Yes that is George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Ringo Starr jamming out with him. Holler at your boy, give it up for rocking Okies!