Bill Janovitz - Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Times Journey Through Rock & Roll History

The Rolling Stones Exile on Main St. (33 / Series)

Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones

Copyright 2023 by William Janovitz

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022917456

ISBNs: 9780306924774 (hardcover), 9780306923029 (ebook)

E3-20230318-JV-PC-COR

For Laura, Lucy, and Will, who put up with me while I was working on this book, during which there was no escape; we were all locked down together during the pandemic. Happy hour in my house became known as Leon hour, as after a few sips of a cocktail, I would launch into unsolicited Leon lessons.

This book is also dedicated to the late great Jimmy Karstein.

SIR ELTON JOHN INDUCTED HIS most important influence, Leon Russell, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He was my idol, Elton said before bringing Leon up to the podium to give his acceptance speech. The once-lithe super-hippie rock star ambled to the stage with the help of a caneheavyset, dark sunglasses contrasting with his pale face, all framed by his long snowy white hair and beard, looking even older than his sixty-nine years.

About a year ago, Elton came and found me in a ditch by the side of the highway of life, Leon said, haltingly, humbly, his voice breaking with emotion. He took me up the high stages with big audiences and treated me like a king. And the only thing I can say is, Bless your heart. Also, I want to say thank you very much, I appreciate it and, uh, hallelujah.

The induction was a satisfying bookend to Leon Russells career, but it had been no easy task. It really came down to the intense lobbying efforts of Elton John.

There has been much angst about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since its inception. Admission and inclusion in the Hall of Fame are entirely subjective, and the nominating process is mired down in biases and politics. Nevertheless, it has become meaningful to many of the artists inducted and a bone of contention for fans of artistsand some artists themselveswho are excluded.

From the outset, the only criterion was that an artist had to have released a record at least twenty-five years ago. Thats it.

The criteria were deliberately left open, said Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteens manager and head of the nominating committee. Landau described the factors as a mix of quality and influence. We have artists with mass appeal, and artists with a very narrow audience. Discussing the J. Geils Band, Landauwho started out as one of Rolling Stone s earliest editorsnoted, Im still trying to get them into the Hall of Fame, unsuccessfully. Peter [Wolf] is my oldest friend. We go back to 1967.

I mean, who do you gotta know around here?

Elton John was among a third wave of slam-dunk Hall of Famers. He was inducted in 1994. Around 2008, he started to plead for Leons inclusion, which just based on Leons career from 1959 to 1975 would seem a pretty obvious case. But he kept going.

If it pleases the court: Leon started in 1959 with Jerry Lee Lewis; moved to LA and became the first-call piano player among the A-list of the so-called Wrecking Crew session musicians, backing the Beach Boys and Frank Sinatra and playing on almost all of Phil Spectors hits. He was one of the most critical forces for bringing together one of Americas most underappreciated bands, Delaney & Bonnie and Friendsthe band that directly changed the career trajectories of George Harrison and Eric Clapton, among others. Leon pulled together Mad Dogs & Englishmen for Joe Cocker; cofounded Shelter Records, a powerhouse independent label that discovered Tom Petty, the Dwight Twilley Band, and Phoebe Snow, signed J. J. Cale, and was crucial in introducing reggae to America; commenced his solo career with an almost flawless run of three solo albums, the first of which featured two Beatles, two Rolling Stones, Clapton, and Steve Winwood; was a top international concert draw during rocks golden era; helped Harrison organize rock musics first major all-star charity concert, also a Grammy-winning album; wrote no fewer than three evergreen standards, including a song that topped all of the major commercial charts; racked up six gold records; crossed over from rock to country before that was a popular career move, scoring a number one on the country chart; presented the funk/R&B Gap Band and renegade progressive bluegrass New Grass Revival; spearheaded innovation in recording, music video, and music gear such as the drum machine; helped launch countless music-biz careers; continued a dedicated career long after the spotlight had moved on; and then roared back in his late sixties with a Grammy-nominated hit collaboration with his most celebrated protg. There really shouldnt have been much to deliberate.

But he seemingly had vanished from the public eye. What happened? How did this genuine rock star end up in a ditch by the side of the highway of life?