Leon Russell

Leon Russell was born Claude Russell Bridges in 1942 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He started playing piano early, absorbing the rock and roll and rhythm and blues sounds around him. By the 1960s he'd moved to Los Angeles and became a busy session musician, playing on records like Phil Spector's "River Deep - Mountain High" and The Byrds' "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

His own debut album came out in 1968, simply titled "Leon Russell." In the early 1970s he started Shelter Records, a label that worked with artists like Joe Cocker and J.J. Cale. Around that time he wrote "Delta Lady," which became his best-known song. Other tracks from that period include "A Song For You" and "Crystal Closet Queen."

Russell kept recording through the decade with albums like "Carney" in 1972 and "Leon Live" in 1973. His piano playing had a rough, gospel-tinged quality, and his voice was a distinctive growl. He wrote songs that other artists covered widely, though his own versions have a particular worn-in character.