Description

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 Johns idol and Elton inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 Leon also gets credit for altering Willie Nelsons career giving us the longhaired potfriendly Willie we all know and love today

In his prime Leon filled stadiums on solo tours and was an organizer/performer on both Joe Cockers revolutionary Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour and George Harrisons 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 JJ 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