Graham Cyril Russell (born 11 June 1950) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, producer and guitarist of the

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

duo

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hit ...

. In 1975, with

Russell Hitchcock Russell Charles Hitchcock (born 15 June 1949) is an Australian musician and lead vocalist of the soft rock duo Air Supply. Early life Born in Melbourne, Hitchcock attended South Brunswick State School, and later studied at Princes Hill High ...

, he formed Air Supply in Australia. The duo have been singing and performing romantic songs and

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, such as " Lost in Love", "

All Out of Love "All Out of Love" is a song by British/Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, released as a single in 1980 from their fifth studio album '' Lost in Love''. The song was written by Graham Russell and Clive Davis. The song's lyrics describe the em ...

", "

Every Woman in the World "Every Woman in the World" is a song by British/Australian soft rock duo Air Supply. The song was written by Dominic Bugatti and Frank Musker. It was the third release from their fifth studio album, '' Lost in Love''. Reception ''Billboard'' ca ...

", "

The One That You Love "The One That You Love" is a song by British-Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, released as a single from their sixth studio album of the same name. It was written by member Graham Russell. The song reached No. 1 in the United States, topping ...

", "

Even the Nights Are Better "Even the Nights Are Better" is the song from 1982 by the British/Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, from their 1982 album '' Now and Forever''. Background The lyrics of this song are sung from the perspective of a man who had a significant ...

", "

Goodbye Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to: Film * ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann * ''Goodbye'' ...

" and "

Making Love Out of Nothing at All "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" is a power ballad written and composed by Jim Steinman and first released by Australian soft rock band Air Supply for their 1983 compilation album ''Greatest Hits''. It reached number 2 on the U.S. ''Billboa ...

", for more than 45 years.

Early life

Russell was born in Arnold,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. He had a strong interest in poetry, music and books since his childhood. At the age of 11, he started writing poems and in the same year of 1961, he composed his first song, called "That Rockin' Feeling". Self-taught, he learned to play guitar and percussion alone and, after the loss of his mother in childhood, he became a loner and thereby found in music and poems a way to express his loss and his emotions. He attended the Carlton-Le-Willows, a technical school in

Gedling Gedling is a village in the Gedling district, in Nottinghamshire, England, four miles northeast of Nottingham city centre. The population at the 2011 census of the ward was 6,817 and 111,787 for the district. Gedling was recorded in the Domes ...

, Nottingham, where his love for literature and the great English poets only grew further, fueled by study and also an interest that developed on the arts of the paranormal and occult sciences, highlighted by the works of writers Shelley,

Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculos ...

, and

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

. In 1963, the music of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

was a strong influence that marked his life that year, and after watching a live show in 1964, Russell decided that he wanted to be a musician. Russell joined a band called Union Blues in 1965, where he played percussion, but really wanted to play his own songs in front of the stage.

Career

In 1968, he moved to Australia and formed a second band in Melbourne, and began to also play solo in cafes and dance clubs, gaining ground on the Australian circuit. In 1973, after reading spiritual and mystical content in search of knowledge and answers for several questions about life, Russell joined the rock opera ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'' in 1975 and met

on the first day and became instant friends. They would sing Beatles songs together during and after shows and this would eventually lead them to form the band Air Supply. Air Supply - Napa - 2015 - Sarah Stierch 13

Air Supply - Napa - 2015 - Sarah Stierch 13

After 18 months in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock formed the band under the name which Graham Russell had seen in a dream, a giant bright lights plate in which could be read "Air Supply". Their first single, "

Love and Other Bruises "Love and Other Bruises" is the debut single by English/Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, from their 1976 self-titled debut album. The song was a top ten hit in Australia, where it peaked at No. 6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums ...

", became a success. In 1976, after opening for

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

in Australia and also in the United States in 1977, Air Supply went on tour and two more hit records ensued, "Lost in Love" and "All Out of Love". In 1979,

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

heard the song "Lost in Love", and the band signed to the label Arista Records. The first single on the Hot 100, "Lost in Love", reached the top 3 in May 1980, and Graham Russell's "The One That You Love" reached the top in July 1981.

Personal life

In 1967, Russell married a high school sweetheart, Linda, and had a son with her the following year, Simon, who is currently working with his father, organising concerts and the fan club. Graham and Linda also had a daughter, Samantha, born in March 1972. Graham Russell's marriage to Linda ended in 1978. In 1981, Russell met Jodi Varble at a show and, after two years in which they exchanged correspondence only, became a couple and married in 1986, when Jodi was 21 and Russell was 36.

Discography

Solo *''The Future'' (2007) Of Eden *''Feel'' (2013) *''Astral Love'' (2020) G and the Jolly Cucumbers *''The Perfect Lover'' (2022)

References

* Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. * Note: n-lineversion established a
White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd
in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Graham 1950 births APRA Award winners People educated at Carlton le Willows Academy Living people 20th-century English singers 21st-century English singers English male singers English rock singers English pop singers Rhythm guitarists English male guitarists English rock guitarists English male singer-songwriters English record producers English songwriters British soft rock musicians People from Nottingham Ballad musicians Musicians from Nottinghamshire Air Supply members Arista Records artists Giant Records (Warner) artists Sony BMG artists People from Arnold, Nottinghamshire