Leon Russell Out: ‘Angel in Disguise’ No More
Well, this has been one hell of a 2016, and we’re just talking about the music aspect of it. So many of our titans are joining Bernie Worrell on the Mothership.
And now we have lost Leon Russell, the man who wrote “Everybody Loves a Clown,” “Delta Lady,” “Superstar” and “This Masquerade.” The man who spearheaded the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. The man who threw down a wicked “Jumping Jack Flash > Youngblood” at George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh. The master of space and time.
Leon Russell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well. His career includes being a “first-call” studio musician, songwriter, band leader, creator of Shelter Records. He has played or recorded with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, Bob Dylan, Badfinger, The Gap Band and many others during his career, most recently and famously with Elton John. At Lock’n 2015, Leon was front and center for The Mad Dogs and Englishmen performance featuring the Tedeschi Trucks Band and many members of the original 1970 entourage.
He has written ballads and uptempo rockers, Americana, country music and great pop standards. There is little he didn’t accomplish during his 60+ years as a musician, including his reinvention as Hank Wilson is Back!
Somehow, I failed to cross paths with Russell during the wild ’70s (or for a long time thereafter), seeing him for the first time at the 2013 Wanee Music Festival. Foolishly, I wasn’t expecting much; he blew everybody away with a rocking set. Near the end of his set, Russell turned to us and said (and I’m paraphrasing): “This is the point when we’re supposed to walk off stage and come back out for the encore. You can see I don’t like walking.” (He had hobbled out on canes.) With that, he and bandmates powered through one more awesome song.
The next time was at the Sunshine Music and Blues Festival (01.19.14):
At Wanee 2013, the surprise performance was by Leon Russell, whom I had never seen before. His set had more energy than some singers a quarter of his age. Somebody posted this comment about his Sunshine set, “Leon played a really cool version of ‘Wild Horses!’” I fired back, “Leon played a really cool version of 26 SONGS!” He was the master of space and time. Anybody who can cover Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones, Little Richard, Wilbert Harrison, Chuck Berry and Ray Charles can’t be all bad. This band was outstanding, including his versatile guitar player who also played pedal steel and mandolin and a superb drummer. Then he threw them all off stage for eight (or so) solo tunes. What a showman!
Please, 2016, enough. We’re running out of Kleenex.
