Leon Russell pervades through all my preferred Spotify channels, and none are the ”Leon Russell” channel, which surely exists. You can never go too far without hearing a Leon Russell tune, which is o.k. because all Leon Russell tunes are cool. He brought his considerable talents to LA from Oklahoma City in the 60s, became a valued member of the famed “wrecking crew”, a group of musicians that provided backup to acts ranging from the Beach Boys to Frank Sinatra. His role in putting together Joe Cocker’s “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” got him international attention and he branched out on a solo career, with two lovely albums from which came several hits. Here’s one of my favorites “Hummingbird”.
He continued to perform and record. I regret I did not follow, or go see him when he came to nearby venues. My loss. He died November 13, 2016 in of “natural causes”. I was in Washington D.C. at a meeting when I got the news. I set the Spotify channel to Leon Russell as I ate my dinner I my room. RIP Leon. He continues to come at me from all directions on my Spotify channels, so I don’t imagine I’ll ever say goodbye to Leon, as his talent shall always be with us.
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