RIP Leon Russell

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/a...-maker-and-musicians-musician-dies-at-74.html

A voice that was unlike any other. Still play his Carney album (yes, album ... not one of those newfangled compact discs) quite a bit.

If you've never heard it, go to concertvault.com and listen to Leon playing piano at a 1970 concert with Joe Cocker and Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Love, love it.

 

Leon was producer, arranger, and musical director for Joe Cocker, he was far more than his piano player. He also played piano for The Wrecking Crew. He had fingers in a lot of pies, and was much busier and more influential than is generally realized today.

He had worked with Delaney and Bonnie, and took most of their band for the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. If you look at the core musicians involved (Carl Radle, Jim Price, Jim Horn, Jim Keltner and Jim Gordon), they became extremely busy LA session musicians and played with a huge list of artists, both as sidemen and band members, as did Leon himself.

Pull up Leon's Wikipedia entry, it is far too lengthy to even skim and paste.

 

Leon's live cover of Jumpin' Jack Flash>Young Blood is a performance for the ages.

 

No idea how I missed this but this is all kinds of badass....killer shades and Winstons....

 

Tedeschi Trucks Band pays tribute to Leon Russell, opening a show in Peoria with "Space Captain"....

...and playing "Delta Lady" for an encore with the great Mike Mattison on vocals....