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LEON RUSSELL

Bill Janovitz

The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History

The definitive biography of legendary musician, composer, and performer Leon Russell. A mythical figure in American music, Russell's life has never been fully chronicled until now. His influence (while often behind the scenes) can be found behind the work of Elton John, The Beatles, the Stones, and countless other artists.
Leon Russell is an icon, but in many ways he is also an underappreciated artist. A Zelig figure for a number of decades, he is spoken of in tones reserved not just for the most talented musicians, but also the most complex and fascinating. His career is like a roadmap of American music, yet he worked integrally with English rock royalty like Beatles and the Stones. He played 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. Russell inspired Elton John's career, and Elton inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. That same year, Russell released his lauded comeback album, which was a collaboration with Elton titled The Union. Russell 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, Russell filled stadiums on solo tours, and was an organizer/performer of both Joe Cocker's revolutionary Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour and George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh.

Russell founded Shelter Records in 1969 with producer Denny Cordell, establishing offices and studios in Los Angeles and eventually Tulsa, fostering wild and free atmospheres for musicians to live and work together. The phenomenal litany of collaborators and beneficiaries of the creative worlds he created over the years includes George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Delaney and Bonnie, Rita Coolidge, Dave Mason, Bob Dylan, Freddie King, J.J. Cale, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the Dwight Twilley Band, Gary Busey, Phoebe Snow, Bonnie Raitt, and the Gap Band. Russell was an early proponent of cultural diversity, always assembling wildly diverse bands and performances and laughing in the face of musical and social barriers. On the personal side, Leon struggled with his demons, including substance abuse, severe depression, and a crippling stage fright that wreaked havoc on his psyche over the long haul. 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.

Bill Janovitz is the author of The Rolling Stones Exile on Main St. (Bloomsbury 33 1/3, 2005) and Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stone (St. Martin's, 2014). He is a founding member of the international touring and recording band Buffalo Tom, formed in 1986 in Massachusetts. His most recent work has appeared in the Cambridge Companion series, Cambridge University Press; the Observer; Esquire.com; Rock and Roll Globe; and Post Road. He lives with his family outside of Boston.
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Published 2023-03-14 by Hachette Go

Comments

Russell's rise is entertainingly chronicled and woven through with lively rock 'n' roll picaresque.

There is only one man ever called the Master of Space and Time, and for good reason... 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.

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. Read more...

An ambitiously comprehensive biography of a musical supernova... [Janovitz] succeeds in creating a full portrait of a 'Stranger in a Strange Land...' Definitive.

Leon Russell not only fills in the historical gaps of Russell's lifelong career in the music business, it also looks at Russell the person.

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.

Bill Janovitz treats readers to a master class in all things Leon Russell. Read more...

Exhaustive study of Russell's life and work... The good, bad and ugly, it's all here. Read more...

"Janovitz tells Russell's rollercoaster of a life and legacy in painstaking and vivid detail." Read more...

"The most ambitious effort yet to peel back the curtain on one of the most gifted, least understood rock artists of the 20th century." Read more...

Even more impressive than the amount of raw knowledge Bill Janovitz puts on display is the way he expertly elaborates on Leon Russell's familiar résumé.

LEON RUSSEL is at #14 on the New York Times Bestseller List!

"Through it all, Janovitz shows all the strengths of his previous books: an insider's understanding of how music is made and a literary flair for bringing that process to life on the page....He also manages to be a sure-footed guide through Russell's extremely complicated personal and professional life." Read more...

The most ambitious effort yet to peel back the curtain on one of the most gifted, least understood rock artists of the 20th century. Read more...

Japanese: Aki Shobo

The first holistic study of the musician.

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.