Leon Russell

New York Times Bestseller The definitive biography of legendary musician, composer, and performer Leon Russell, a profound influence on countless artists, including George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, and the world of music as a whole. Leon Russell is an icon, but somehow is still an underappreciated artist. He is spoken of in tones reserved not just for the most talented musicians, but also for the most complex and fascinating. His career is like a roadmap of music history, often intersecting with rock royalty like Bob Dylan, the Stones, and the Beatles. He started in the Fifties as a teenager touring with Jerry Lee Lewis, going on to play piano on records by such giants as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and Phil Spector, and on hundreds of classic songs with major recording artists. Leon was Elton John’s idol, and Elton inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Leon also gets credit for altering Willie Nelson’s career, giving us the long-haired, pot-friendly Willie we all know and love today. In his prime, Leon filled stadiums on solo tours, and was an organizer/performer on both Joe Cocker’s revolutionary Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour and George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh. Leon also founded Shelter Records in 1969 with producer Denny Cordell, discovering and releasing the debut albums of Tom Petty, the Gap Band, Phoebe Snow, and J.J. Cale. Leon always assembled wildly diverse bands and performances, fostering creative and free atmospheres for musicians to live and work together. He brazenly challenged musical and social barriers. However, Russell also struggled with his demons, including substance abuse, severe depression, and a crippling stage fright that wreaked havoc on his psyche over the long haul and at times seemed to will himself into obscurity. Now, acclaimed author and founding member of Buffalo Tom, Bill Janovitz shines the spotlight on one of the most important music makers of the twentieth century.

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). 12 songs from the long and storied career of this legendary session player and singer/songwriter. Includes: Hummingbird * A Song for You * This Masquerade * and more.

Get the Summary of Bill Janovitz's Leon Russell in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Leon Russell's journey from a young pianist in Tulsa to a rock icon is a tale of talent, transformation, and tenacity. Born Claude Russell Bridges in 1942, he faced early challenges, including a birth injury that affected his piano style. His musical influences ranged from classical to R&B, and his early bands played in the vibrant Tulsa and LA scenes...

A fascinating treasure trove of never-before-published material, written byt the Master of Space and Time himself. Delving into an extensive file of interviews given by Leon's friends and fellow musicians, editors Steve Todoroff and John Wooley have taken Russell's remembrances and enhanced them with the words of many who were with him during those years. The result is a one-of-a-kind book that uniquely captures the kaledoscopic rock 'n' roll scenes of the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s, giving it all to us in the voice of a music legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer...with a little hlp from his friends!

Musical magic hit Austin, Texas, in the early 1970s. At now-legendary venues such as Threadgill's, Vulcan Gas Company, and the Armadillo World Headquarters, a host of country, rock-and-roll, blues, and folk musicians came together and created a sound and a scene that Jan Reid vividly detailed in his 1974 book, The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock. The breadth of talent still astounds—Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, Jerry Jeff Walker, Doug Sahm, Delbert McClinton, Michael Martin Murphey, Willis Alan Ramsey, Kinky Friedman, Steve Fromholz, Bobby Bridger, Billy Joe Shaver, Marcia Ball, and Townes Van Zandt. Reid's book even inspired the nationally popular and long-running PBS series Austin City Limits, which focused attention on the trends that fed the music scene—progressive country, country rock, western swing, blues, and bluegrass among them. In this new edition, Jan Reid revitalizes his classic look at the Austin music scene. He has substantially reworked the early chapters to include musicians and musical currents from other parts of Texas that significantly contributed to the delightful convergence of popular cultures in Austin. Four new chapters and an epilogue show how the creative burst of the seventies directly spawned a new generation of talents who carry on the tradition—Lyle Lovett, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Robert Earl Keen, Steve Earle, Jimmy LaFave, Kelly Willis, Joe Ely, Bruce and Charlie Robison, and The Dixie Chicks.

Superstar in a Masquerade tells the story about Leon Russell, an award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, who was born with cerebral palsy, and learned to master the piano. He became an in-demand session man in Hollywood, contributing to thousands of songs by hundreds of artists, during his seven-decade career. He was called the "Rainbow Minister & Ringleader" for the Hippie Generation, and although most people can say they never heard of him, few can say they've never heard him. After reading this book, you can play "Three Degrees of Leon," just like the game "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," linking him to anyone, from B.B. King to ZZ Top. As an emigre from Oklahoma to California, he invited David Gates and J. J. Cale to join him in the music mecca known as Tinseltown, where the Tulsa Trio made untold contributions to America's popular music. Read about over five hundred artists, and their songs that Leon, David, and J. J. helped create, as well as... When seventeen-year-old Leon replaced Jerry Lee Lewis on stage in 1959. How Frank Sinatra caused Leon to let his hair grow. How J. J. Cale played a role in the formation of the band Bread. How Leon saved Joe Cocker's career and created Willie Nelson's famous image. When Elton John was Leon's opening act on tour. Why DC Comics sued Leon's record label for $2 million. When David Gates's band backed Chuck Berry on stage in 1961. When Leon brazenly threw the "F-bomb" at Phil Spector. When Leon called organized Christianity the single most harmful force in history. What Broadway song Leon borrowed from for "This Masquerade."

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The Beatles reflected the times as they captivated the world over. This book has been put together in the hopes of stirring fond memories in a few of those Beatlemaniaces, who are as much a part of this story as the four young Beatles were. Always updated with new CDs, prices, and recent information! Throughout the years they've remained in the public eye as much as when they were together. This is a story of The Beatles together and their careers through the post-Beatle years. A comprehensive price guide of all their records together and their solo-careers from around the globe! Stories never told before, whic makes this the Ultimate Beatles Price Guide. Updated yearly. All You Need is Love!