William Eugene Russell (December 2, 1932 – May 5, 1981), known as Gene Russell, was an American pop, jazz, and soul keyboardist who played acoustic and

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

.Nastos, Michael G
Allmusic Biography: "Gene Russell."

allmusic.com AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved October 11, 2017. He is mainly known for founding and releasing albums on

Black Jazz Records Black Jazz Records was a jazz record company and label founded in Oakland, California"Black ...

. Russell was born in Los Angeles, California and was a cousin of guitarist

Charlie Christian Charles Henry Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American swing and jazz guitarist. Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar and a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained nati ...

. He studied with

Hampton Hawes Hampton Barnett Hawes Jr. (November 13, 1928 – May 22, 1977) was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir ''Raise Up Off Me'', which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975. Early life Hampton Hawes was born on N ...

. In the 1960s and 1970s, he composed music for film and television also appearing as an actor. Russell played with

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. ''Grove Music Online''. ''Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved February 1, 2009-. "The year ...

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

Leroy Vinnegar Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 – August 3, 1999) was an American jazz bassist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in Los Angeles, California, during the 1950s and 1960s. His trademar ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

Wardell Gray Wardell Gray (February 13, 1921 – May 25, 1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Biography Early years Gray was born in Oklahoma City, the youngest of four children. He spent his early chi ...

and

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. With financing from Dick Schrory, Russell established Black Jazz Records in 1969. The aim of the record label was to promote young African American jazz musicians and singers. He died in Los Angeles on May 5, 1981.

Discography

*1967: ''Takin' Care of Business'' (

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

) - As the Gene Russell Trio *1967: ''Up and Away'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

) *1971: ''New Direction'' ( Black Jazz) *1972: ''Talk to My Lady'' (Black Jazz) *1981: ''Autumn Leaves'' (Sea Breeze)

References

African-American jazz musicians American jazz organists American male organists American jazz pianists American male pianists American jazz composers American male jazz composers 1932 births 1981 deaths Black Jazz Records artists Jazz musicians from California 20th-century American composers 20th-century American pianists 20th-century organists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century jazz composers African-American pianists 20th-century African-American musicians {{US-musician-stub