Leon Russell is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and guitarist.
Born in Lawton, Russell attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and began his musical career as a session musician, quickly gaining experience and becoming a high-end keyboardist in demand to notable artists from the 1960s to the present.
By the late 1960s, Russell branched out, first to writing songs, and then working his way from gigs as a sideman to joining bands as a full member. Eventually, he moved into a solo recording position, although he never gave up all his previous roles within the music industry.
Russell has played with artists as varied as Jerry Lee Lewis, Joe Cocker, George Harrison, Delaney Bramlett, Ringo Starr, Elton John, B.B. King, Freddie King, Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Willie Nelson, Badfinger, Tijuana Brass, J.J. Cale, David Gates, Frank Sinatra, The Band, Marc Benno, Edgar and Johnny Winter, Glen Campbell, Gary Busey, Jesse Ed Davis,the Zac Brown Band, and The Rolling Stones.
With a solo career spanning the genres of rock, blues, and gospel, Russell began his musical career at the age of 14 in the nightclubs of Tulsa, OK. He and his group The Starlighters, which included J.J. Cale, Chuck Blackwell and Johnny Williams, were instrumental in creating the school of music known as the Tulsa Sound. After settling in Los Angeles, he studied guitar with James Burton, and worked sessions with Dorsey Burnette and Glen Campbell.
