John Bright Russell (January 23, 1940 – July 3, 2001) was an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

singer, songwriter, and comedian best known for his song "

Act Naturally "Act Naturally" is a song written by Johnny Russell, with a writing credit given to Voni Morrison and publishing rights transferred to Buck Owens. It was originally recorded by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, whose version reached number one on ...

", which was made famous by

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...

, who recorded it in 1963, and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

in 1965. His songs have been recorded by

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

, Jerry Garcia,

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, Emmylou Harris,

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...

and

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

Biography

Born in Moorhead, Mississippi, United States, he moved with his family at age 11 to

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

. He began writing songs and entering talent contests while still attending Fresno High School, from which he graduated in 1958. He had his first song published that year, "In a Mansion Stands My Love," which was recorded by Jim Reeves as the

A-side and B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of his 1960 hit, "

He'll Have to Go "He'll Have to Go" is an American country and pop hit recorded on October 15, 1959, by Jim Reeves. The song, released in the fall of 1959, went on to become a hit in both genres early in 1960. Background The song is about a man who's talking by t ...

." Russell's recording of his song, " Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer", was his only top 10 hit, peaking at No. 4 on the '' Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart in October 1973. The song was nominated later that year for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

. Russell is also known for hits such as "The Baptism of Jesse Taylor", "

Catfish John "Catfish John" is a song written by Bob McDill and Allen Reynolds first released on McDill's album '' Short Stories,'' and subsequently recorded and released by American country music artist Johnny Russell. It was released in November 1972 as th ...

", and "Hello, I Love You". Years later, George Strait topped the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart with Russell's song "

Let's Fall to Pieces Together "Let's Fall to Pieces Together" is a song written by Dickey Lee, Johnny Russell and Tommy Rocco, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, song ...

". In 1987, Russell hosted his first annual concert in Moorhead, at the Mississippi Delta Community College Coliseum. These went on for 13 years, his final on April 29, 2000. By 2001, Russell's health had been in a state of decline (for years, he had used his

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

as a running joke on the Grand Ole Opry), and in April 2001, both of his legs were amputated because of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. Russell died July 3, 2001, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, at the age of 61 from diabetes-related complications.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

Bibliography

*Roy, Don. (1998). "Johnny Russell." In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music.'' Paul Kingsbury, Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 462–463.

External links

CMT.com Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Johnny 1940 births 2001 deaths American country singer-songwriters Grand Ole Opry members People from Moorhead, Mississippi Musicians from Fresno, California RCA Victor artists Mercury Records artists MGM Records artists Writers from Fresno, California 20th-century American singers Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from Mississippi Country musicians from California Country musicians from Mississippi