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Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History
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.
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.
Editorial Reviews
The New York Post's Best New Books to Read
"Get ready to truly meet Leon Russell-one of music's most unforgettable, colorful, and supremely gifted characters. Thanks to Bill Janovitz's thoroughly captivating storytelling, here's the definitive portrait as lively and essential as Russell himself."―Cameron Crowe
"There is only one man ever called the Master of Space and Time, and for good reason. Alongside his own majestic music, Leon Russell's otherworldly cosmic touch on the keyboards has enhanced the songs of countless rock gods and goddesses, lifting them to the stratosphere. I was fortunate to be in the studio the night he played piano on the Flying Burrito Brothers' version of the Stones' Wild Horses, and the purity of his playing made me weep. Bill Janovitz takes us on a deep dive through the swirling currents and down the rocky roads of a bonafide musical genius, capturing his huge heart in the process. Finally, a song for Leon."―Pamela Des Barres, author of I'm with the Band
"With Leon Russell, Bill Janovitz gets right down to business…. To say Bill Janovitz is ideally equipped to write this book is an understatement....Leon Russell didn't just play rock 'n' roll...He was rock 'n' roll."―The Wall Street Journal
"An eccentric, contrary genius, Leon Russell is one of the most compelling, misunderstood, and neglected figures in rock history. Bill Janovitz has unraveled the riddle of the rock n'roll sphinx in this masterful, majestic book. His love and admiration for Russell bleeds from every paragraph, yet he pulls no punches when it comes to Leon's life or his work. Janovitz brings the circus of characters surrounding Russell to life in vivid, sometimes hilarious detail. His research is impeccable, unerring; his deeply considered opinions of Russell's music unimpeachable. This is a biography for the ages, as thrilling an inspired as any piano solo from Leon himself. You really want to know what it's like to be a flawed superstar in the fabulous world of rock? Here it is, on a fiery platter."―Jimmy McDonough, author of Shakey: Neil Young's Biography
"Bill Janovitz has drawn back the curtain on this seminal yet incredibly complex and mysterious figure in American Music. After reading the book, I feel as though I've met the man, and certainly understand so much more about this singular musical genius. A detailed, absorbing read."―
"Get ready to truly meet Leon Russell-one of music's most unforgettable, colorful, and supremely gifted characters. Thanks to Bill Janovitz's thoroughly captivating storytelling, here's the definitive portrait as lively and essential as Russell himself."―Cameron Crowe
"There is only one man ever called the Master of Space and Time, and for good reason. Alongside his own majestic music, Leon Russell's otherworldly cosmic touch on the keyboards has enhanced the songs of countless rock gods and goddesses, lifting them to the stratosphere. I was fortunate to be in the studio the night he played piano on the Flying Burrito Brothers' version of the Stones' Wild Horses, and the purity of his playing made me weep. Bill Janovitz takes us on a deep dive through the swirling currents and down the rocky roads of a bonafide musical genius, capturing his huge heart in the process. Finally, a song for Leon."―Pamela Des Barres, author of I'm with the Band
"With Leon Russell, Bill Janovitz gets right down to business…. To say Bill Janovitz is ideally equipped to write this book is an understatement....Leon Russell didn't just play rock 'n' roll...He was rock 'n' roll."―The Wall Street Journal
"An eccentric, contrary genius, Leon Russell is one of the most compelling, misunderstood, and neglected figures in rock history. Bill Janovitz has unraveled the riddle of the rock n'roll sphinx in this masterful, majestic book. His love and admiration for Russell bleeds from every paragraph, yet he pulls no punches when it comes to Leon's life or his work. Janovitz brings the circus of characters surrounding Russell to life in vivid, sometimes hilarious detail. His research is impeccable, unerring; his deeply considered opinions of Russell's music unimpeachable. This is a biography for the ages, as thrilling an inspired as any piano solo from Leon himself. You really want to know what it's like to be a flawed superstar in the fabulous world of rock? Here it is, on a fiery platter."―Jimmy McDonough, author of Shakey: Neil Young's Biography
"Bill Janovitz has drawn back the curtain on this seminal yet incredibly complex and mysterious figure in American Music. After reading the book, I feel as though I've met the man, and certainly understand so much more about this singular musical genius. A detailed, absorbing read."―
Readers Top Reviews
Louise Foerster
I listened to the remarkable music of Leon Russell never knowing the price he paid to forever change music, a seminal influence on music and creativity. In LEON Russell, Bill Janovitz shares the story of this multi-talented musician who contributed, shaped, and influenced the music we listened to then, resonating to our current time. While parts of Russell's life were difficult to read, Janovitz shares the events and the outcomes with an even-handed focus on the artist he was and the inspiration he provided. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.
Kindle
Even rock stars have heroes, and even the biggest rock star can be a groupie. There are people the biggest stars still want to jam with, work with, party with and be a part of their scene. People who rock stars sit and go, dang how did they do that, how do they get that sound, what is their magic, and how do I get some. Members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Elton John especially loved one performer, one whose ear they admired, one whose arrangements they wanted to steal, and whose albums they wanted to be on, and that was Leon Russell. As a pianist Elton John loved his style and wanted to play like him. As an arranger and composer woodwinds, Randy Newman couldn't believe what he could do without training. 2 Beatles played on his first solo album, and John Lennon watched from the control room. These are only some of the remarkable stories that Bill Janovitz relates in his masterwork of a biography on the enigmatic musician Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History, which offers a comprehensive view of this complicated music maker, his demons, ability, loss and recovery, and of course a lot of songs. Leon Russell was born Claude Russell Bridges in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1942. The doctor delivering him was a little quick with the forceps, leaving Russell with a limp and some problems on his right side, and causing his left hand to be stronger. This gave him a distinctive style of playing piano which he started playing before the age of five, learning to play other instruments as he got older. Russell became a professional musician at 14 with his own band that soon was backing Jerry Lee Lewis on his first comeback tour, the "comeback from marrying his cousin" as Russell called it. Soon Russell went to California where he began working in studios after faking a union card, being too young to get on legally. Soon he was playing for the Brian Wilson, Frank Sinatra, and he became a part of the famed Wrecking Crew who backed so many musicians on hundreds of classic songs. Russell was part of a few different record labels, his own studio, built in his home and he gained a steady reputation as the guy with an ear, slightly moody, but with gifts. Soon he was arranging for Joe Cocker's tour of America, while playing songs from his first album, and the spotlight was soon where he wanted to be A monumental study of a musician who really did play with everyone and everyone wanted to play with him. Not as well known as he should be, the songs that he worked on, or just appeared on are some of the biggest songs of sixty years. Bill Janovitz does a great job of keeping track of all of them. The book is full of interviews, all revealing, sometimes to the people being interviewed. Health issues, mental issues, physical issues, all were a part of this man, and in seeing all that he accomplished...
*TUDOR^QUEEN*
A passion of mine is reading rock biographies, particularly about The Beatles and other classic rock figures. An intriguing musical artist kept popping up in the background during these reads: Leon Russell. Mysterious (and a bit scary) in his mirrored aviator shades, long, early gray hair, and audacious top hat. In pictures he rarely smiles, but absolutely commands on concert stages. I had to know more. A son of Tulsa Oklahoma, born in 1942 with a birth injury that weakened his right side causing a slight limp and the need to over-compensate on piano with his left hand, Leon took the music industry by storm. A lot of people don't know this guy, yet he was a part of so much- playing on major hit records along with The Wrecking Crew, a masterful arranger of songs and musical director/participant of concerts such as the "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" with Joe Cocker. He also performed at George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh". He is the composer of huge classic hits made famous by other people such as "This Masquerade", "A Song for You" and "Superstar"...all these recorded by The Carpenters. I nearly cried when I read that he wrote the song "Lost Inside of You' with Barbra Streisand for her 70s version of the movie "A Star is Born". This movie in which she starred with Kris Kristofferson was one of the movies of my life that made a big impression on me as a teenager, and that song has always been my favorite/buried treasure song from that soundtrack. This almost 600-page biography is certainly lengthy, but it needed to be. Leon Russell was a multi-faceted talent who was driven totally by musical force and lived it that way. He had a penchant for buying homes in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, California and Tennessee, but would instantly build a new recording studio in each one. These homes became a quasi-commune as he would encourage his musical mates to be live-ins. He also was on the cutting edge of new recording technologies, owning the first drum machine, mellotron, 40-track recording console and mobile video recording unit. As a result he was often in debt, another reason for his relentless touring until the end of his life. Leon was also a suspected bipolar/manic depressive/autistic, an assessment by many close to him. While his talent and innate kindness was undeniable, his social graces were awkward. He had a tendency to trust certain people to do things for him rather than hire more reliable people, and also a penchant for running all things himself. He created Shelter Records in 1969. A great many icons of the music and entertainment industry graciously participated in interviews for this book. There are also many direct quotes from Leon Russell himself, culled from his writings that made a very short book called " Leon Russell In His Own Words". As far as I know, there isn't another mammoth Leon Russell tome out ther...
Jules
Having seen Leon Russell perform on numerous occasions, and having been a fan of his since the Concert for Bangladesh, reading this book, makes you feel as though you knew him personally. His contribution to music can never be understated.
