Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett,

Harry Chapin Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy A ...

Rita Coolidge Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945) is an American recording artist. During the 1970s and 1980s, her songs were on ''Billboard'' magazine's pop, country, adult contemporary, and jazz charts, and she won two Grammy Awards with fellow musician and the ...

, Neil Diamond,

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Dan Fogelberg Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his 1970s and 1980s songs, including " Longer" (1979), " Same Old Lang Syne" (1980), and ...

Glenn Frey Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. Frey was the co-lead singer and frontman for the Eagles, roles he came to share with fellow member Don H ...

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Highlights of Garfunkel's solo music career include one top-10 h ...

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...

, Carole King, Lyle Lovett, Reba McEntire, Stevie Nicks,

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 ...

, Bob Seger, Carly Simon, Stephen Stills,

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

, Steve Winwood,

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

, and

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", " Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Th ...

. He was the studio and touring drummer for

Crosby & Nash In addition to solo careers and within the larger aggregate of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the musical team of David Crosby and Graham Nash have performed and recorded regularly as a duo, mostly during the 1970s and the 2000s. History After th ...

in the 1970s, and has played on all four of their studio albums.

Early life and education

Kunkel was born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

but by the age of nine he moved to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

. There, he was part of an orchestra at the local elementary school. Prior to moving, he was influenced by his brother and the song " Wipe Out" to play drums. During his high school years he lived in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. He played for approximately six different bands, including the Barons, and appeared at many

sock hop A sock hop or sox hop, often also called a record hop or just a hop, was an informal sponsored dance event for teenagers in mid-20th-century North America, featuring popular music. History Sock hops were held as early as 1944 by the American J ...

s and high school dances, playing surf music and Beatles songs. In his last two years of high school he was a

jazz drummer Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques a ...

and later worked for John Stewart and

the Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...

Career

Early career

In 1966, Kunkel moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. He joined the band Things to Come and performed in Hollywood. During the summer of 1968, they performed at the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boule ...

, a club on Sunset Strip. In 1967, when Jimi Hendrix's album ''

Are You Experienced ''Are You Experienced'' is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, the LP was an immediate critical and commercial success, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album feature ...

'' came out, Kunkel was impressed by Hendrix's playing style and they became good friends. A year later, Kunkel started working for the Band when they released ''

Music from Big Pink ''Music from Big Pink'' is the debut studio album by the Band. Released in 1968, it employs a distinctive blend of country, rock, folk, classical, R&B, blues, and soul. The music was composed partly in " Big Pink", a house shared by bassist/s ...

''. Kunkel's first single was a demo with Joel Sill for Trousdale Music, which included musicians Joe Osborn and

Larry Knechtel Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles-based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Simon & ...

. In the late 1960s Kunkel worked for

and together they released a

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

to the movie ''

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid ''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' is a 1973 American Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah, written by Rudy Wurlitzer, and starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jas ...

''. In 1970 Kunkel helped Bob Dylan and drummer

Billy Mundi Billy Mundi (born Antonio Salas, September 25, 1942 in San Francisco – March 29, 2014) was an American drummer best known as a member of The Mothers of Invention and Rhinoceros. He also worked as a session musician. He sometimes used the name To ...

release an album titled ''

New Morning New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

''. During this time, Kunkel was a part of

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

's group, playing with

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

Carole King, and meeting

Bill Szymczyk William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and technical engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of th ...

, Leon Russell, and

. He recorded "Hummingbird" for King's album '' Indianola Mississippi Seeds''.

1970s

In early 1970s, while rehearsing for the upcoming tour, he met

Chris Darrow Christopher Lloyd Darrow (July 30, 1944 – January 15, 2020) was an American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. He was considered to be a pioneer of country rock music in the late-1960s and performed and recorded with numerous groups, ...

, a former player of John Stewart's, who was a friend of

Peter Asher Peter Asher, (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and r ...

and together along with

and bassist

Leland Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. Sklar rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coaleced into a group in its own right, The Section. This group of musicians so frequ ...

they had put out an album. Later on,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

ist

Danny Kortchmar Daniel "Danny Kootch" Kortchmar (born April 6, 1946) is an American guitarist, session musician, producer and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Carole King, David Cassidy, Gr ...

came to them from The Flying Machine along with

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical inst ...

Craig Doerge Craig Doerge (; born December 4, 1944) is an American keyboard player, session musician, songwriter, record producer, best known for his keyboard work with Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne. Biography He was born in Clev ...

and together, the four of them, had formed a band called The Section. The group existed between 1972 and 1977, during which time they had recorded three albums. A few years later however, the band got smaller because Sklar preferred to work in the studio, and Doerge had joined another band. In 1970 Kunkel helped James Taylor to record the ''

Sweet Baby James ''Sweet Baby James'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released on February 1, 1970, by Warner Bros. Records. The album includes two of Taylor's earliest successful singles: " Fire and Rain", and " Country ...

'' album. Kunkel played on Tony Kosinec's "Bad Girl Songs," which was produced by Peter Asher. In 1971 Kunkel worked with Gerry Goffin, Gary Hart, and Carole King on the ''

Tapestry Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads ma ...

'' album, which became a classic. From 1971 to 1972 Kunkel worked with Joni Mitchell on her albums ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

'' and '' For the Roses''. Along with his bandmates in the Section, he appeared on the first album by Crosby & Nash, and would continue working with the duo through the decade. From 1972 to 1973 he played in the attic of

's house at Martha's Vineyard where he recorded parts of the '' One Man Dog'' album. In 1972 Kunkel helped

Willis Alan Ramsey Willis Alan Ramsey (born 5 March 1951) is an American singer/songwriter, a cult legend among fans of Americana and Texas country. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Dallas, Texas. Ramsey graduated from Highland Park High School ...

to release the album, ''

'', which was issued under

Shelter Records Shelter Records was a U.S. record label started by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell that operated from 1969 to 1981. The company established offices in both Los Angeles and Tulsa, Russell's home town, where the label sought to promote a "workshop ...

label. Three years later, Kunkel participated in the Carly Simon song "

Waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

" and played a part in James Taylor's album ''

Gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

'' in a song "

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" is a song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye from his fifth studio album of the same name (1965). It was written in 1964 by the Motown songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, and produce ...

". In 1977 during the recording of Jackson Browne's '' Running on Empty'' album, Kunkel played on

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

and North Drum sets, and went on a tour to promote the album. During the same year, Kunkel played hi-hat on the

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member ...

album '' CSN''. A year later, he worked with

on ''

Excitable Boy ''Excitable Boy'' is the third studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 18, 1978, by Asylum Records. It includes the single "Werewolves of London", which reached No. 21 and remained in the American Top 4 ...

'' as part of the Section.

1980s

In 1980 during his tour with Jackson Browne to promote his album '' Hold Out'', he played a tom, a

floor tom A floor tom or low tom is a double-headed tom-tom drum which usually stands on the floor on three legs. However, they can also be attached to a cymbal stand with a drum clamp, or supported by a rim mount. It is a cylindrical drum without snare ...

, a bass drum, a snare drum, and two

cymbals A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

. During those years, he also was a drummer for the '' Lawyers In Love'' album where he played in a song "Say It Isn't True". In 1980s album '' Mad Love'' by

, Kunkel along with Waddy Wachtel and Danny Kortchmar performed in the songs " How Do I Make You" and "Mad Love". In 1981, Kunkel joined Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac to create the '' Bella Donna'' album, playing on tracks '' After the Glitter Fades'', and ''

Edge of Seventeen "Edge of Seventeen" is a song by the American singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks from her debut solo studio album '' Bella Donna'' (1981), released as the third single from the album on February 4, 1982. The lyrics were written by Nicks to exp ...

''. In 1981, Kunkel worked for Bee Gees and performed in three of their songs: "Wildflower", "Cryin' Every Day", and "Be Who You Are", for the album '' Living Eyes''. In 1982, Kunkel, along with

Kenny Passarelli Kenny Passarelli (born October 28, 1949 in Denver, Colorado) is an American bass guitarist. Passarelli was a founding member of the Joe Walsh-led band Barnstorm, co-writing the hit "Rocky Mountain Way". He later served as a contract player for ...

, worked with

on a song "Tell Me to My Face". In 1983 he helped Jackson Browne and

to write a song called "

Tender Is the Night ''Tender Is the Night'' is the fourth and final novel completed by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young p ...

" and during that time met with Alan White of Yes. In 1990s he was invited by Joe Walsh to perform the song "I Keep Forgettin'", where he

overdubbed Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

with Linn drums. In 1980, Kunkel played in Linda Ronstadt's band for a concert that was shown on HBO, along with the guitarists

Kenny Edwards Kenneth Michael Edwards (February 10, 1946 – August 18, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, bassist, guitarist, mandolinist, and session musician. He was a founding member of the Stone Poneys and Bryndle and a long-time collaborator wi ...

and

, bassist

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

, keyboardist Billy Payne, pedal steel guitarist

Dan Dugmore Dan Dugmore is an American session musician known primarily for playing the pedal steel guitar Born in 1949, Dugmore was raised in Pasadena, California. Influenced by the Flying Burrito Brothers, he learned to play steel guitar after Flying Bur ...

, and backing vocalist

Wendy Waldman Wendy Waldman (born November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Early life Waldman (born Wendy Steiner) grew up in the Los Angeles area. She was raised in a musical environment: her father Fred Steiner ...

. Thirty-nine years later, an album of the concert, '' Live in Hollywood'', was produced by

and released in CD and

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

formats by

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was originall ...

. Kunkel had a cameo as doomed drummer Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs in the 1984 film '' This Is Spinal Tap''. Before the cameo appearance, he practiced it with

Judith Owen Judith Owen (born 2 January 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her first North American album, ''Emotions on a Postcard'', was released in 1996 and has been followed by several additional albums. She is co-founder of Twanky Records with her hu ...

and her husband

Harry Shearer Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

1990s

In 1991, after his appearance in the 1984 rockumentary, Kunkel joined Spinal Tap. The same year, he appeared in Bob Seger's ''

The Fire Inside ''The Fire Inside'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger. The album was released in mid 1991 on the record label, Capitol. It was Seger's first album of entirely new music since '' Like a Rock'' in 1986. Thou ...

'' where he played with former E Streeter Roy Bittan.

2000s and 2010s

In 2004, Kunkel reunited with Crosby & Nash for their eponymous album, acting as both drummer and co-producer. In 2010 Kunkel joined the Troubadour Reunion Tour supporting

and Carole King. In 2014,

, along with her husband and musician

had issued an ''Ebb & Flow'' album where Kunkel, Sklar, and Wachtel performed on songs such as

Mungo Jerry Mungo Jerry are a British rock band, formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing lineup always fronted by Ray Dorset, the group's biggest hit was " In the Summer ...

's "In the Summertime",

's "Hey Mister", "I've Never Been To Texas", and "I Would Give Anything". Owen invited him to rehearse for the 2016 album of hers called ''Somebody's Child''. In 2018 Kunkel played on "Small Change", a song written by Harry Shearer. The song featured the Hungarian Studio Orchestra, Judith Owen and Danny Kortchmar and was issued in an album called ''Smalls Change'' by Twanky Records/ BMG on April 13. He started his own company called Chateau Beach Entertainment in 2019 on which he recorded an album called ''Rivage''. Kunkel, Kortchmar, Sklar and Wachtel, along with guitarist Steve Postell, reunited to form a new band, The Immediate Family, which released its debut album ''Honey Don't Leave L.A.'' in May 2018 from Japanese Vivid Sound label. A live CD ''Live In Japan 2018'' followed in December of that year. The band's U.S. debut single, "Cruel Twist," was released in June 2020.

Equipment

Kunkel is a self taught drummer and has a studio at his home, where he plays all kinds of instruments including

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, snare drums, bass drums, various toms, and

Zildjian :''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)'' The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...

and

Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian word that means "shine". Apart from cymbals and gong ...

. He endorses

DW drums Drum Workshop, Inc. (also known as DW Drums or DW) is an American drum kit and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Current products by DW include drum sets, snare drums, and hardware. History Drum Workshop was founde ...

Evans Evans may refer to: People *Evans (surname) *List of people with surname Evans Places United States *Evans Island, an island of Alaska *Evans, Colorado *Evans, Georgia *Evans County, Georgia *Evans, New York *Evans Mills, New York *Evans City, ...

, drumheads and

Pro-Mark Promark is a Houston, Texas-based American drum stick company. Since 2011, it is part of strings company D'Addario. Promark is a widely known stick company generally played in drum set, drum and bugle corps and concert bands. History Promark w ...

sticks. He has previously used

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsch ...

, Sonor,

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

and Premier drums, as well as

Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumhead A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched ov ...

drumheads, prior to switching to Paiste in 1983. Other than drumming, he is credited with playing

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

, shaker,

cabasa The cabasa, similar to the shekere, is a percussion instrument that is constructed with loops of steel ball chain wrapped around a wooden cylinder. The cylinder is fixed to a long, wooden or plastic handle. The metal cabasa was created by Mart ...

, congas,

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

castanets Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument (idiophone), used in Spanish, Kalo, Moorish, Ottoman, Italian, Sephardic, Swiss, and Portuguese music. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome there was a simil ...

, wood block, hi-hats, cardboard box, cowbell (instrument), cowbell, marimba, Bongo drum, bongos, Bell (instrument), bells, timpani, cajon and percussion.

Personal life

In 1968, Kunkel married Leah Kunkel, née Leah Cohen, who was the younger sister of Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas. Their son Nathaniel, now a Grammy- and Emmy-winning recording engineer and producer, was born in 1970. When Cass Elliot died in 1974, Russ and Leah Kunkel took in her daughter Owen and raised her. In 1990, Kunkel married singer Nicolette Larson, and that same year their daughter Elsie May Larson-Kunkel was born. Kunkel and Larson were married until her death in 1997. In 2014 he married Shauna Drayson.

Partial discography

Performer

*Herb Alpert – ''Just You and Me'' (1976) *Barbi Benton – ''Something New'' (1975) *Stephen Bishop (musician), Stephen Bishop: **''Careless (album), Careless'' (1976) **''Bish (album), Bish'' (1978) **''Red Cab to Manhattan'' (1980) *Ronee Blakley – ''Ronee Blakley'' (1972) *Karla Bonoff: **''Karla Bonoff (album), Karla Bonoff'' (1977) **''Restless Nights (Karla Bonoff album), Restless Nights'' (1979) **''Wild Heart of the Young'' (1982) *Terence Boylan: **''Terence Boylan'' (1977) **''Suzy'' (1980) *Bread (band), Bread – ''Retrospective'' (1996) *Brewer & Shipley – ''Brewer & Shipley'' (1974) *Sarah Brightman – ''As I Came of Age'' (1998) * Jackson Browne: **''Jackson Browne (album), Jackson Browne'' (1972) **''For Everyman'' (1973) **''The Pretender (album), The Pretender'' (1976) **Running on Empty (album) (1977) **''Lives in the Balance'' (1986) **''World in Motion (album), World in Motion'' (1989) * Jimmy Buffett: **''Volcano (Jimmy Buffett album), Volcano'' (1979) **''One Particular Harbour'' (1983) **''Hot Water (album), Hot Water'' (1988) **''Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads'' (1992) *J. J. Cale – ''Shades (J.J. Cale album), Shades'' (1981) *Eric Carmen – ''Change of Heart'' (1978) *Cecilio & Kapono – ''Cecilio and Kapono'' (1988) *

: **''Heads & Tales (album), Heads & Tales'' (1972) **''Sniper and Other Love Songs'' (1972) *Beth Nielsen Chapman: **''Beth Nielsen Chapman (album), Beth Nielsen Chapman'' (1990) **''You Hold the Key'' (1993) *Tracy Chapman: **''Crossroads (Tracy Chapman album), Crossroads'' (1989) **''Collection (Tracy Chapman greatest hits album), Collection'' (2001) *The Church (band): **''Starfish (album), Starfish'' (drums (uncredited) on Under the Milky Way) (1988) *Clannad (musical group), Clannad: **''Sirius (Clannad album), Sirius'' (1987) **''Pastpresent, Past Present'' (1989) **''A Magical Gathering: The Clannad Anthology'' (2002) *

: **''Fall into Spring'' (1974) **''Heartbreak Radio'' (1981) *Dana Cooper – ''Dana Cooper'' (1973) *Beverley Craven – ''Love Scenes (Beverley Craven album), Love Scenes'' (1993) *David Crosby: **''Oh Yes I Can'' (1989) **''Thousand Roads'' (1993) *

: **''Graham Nash David Crosby'' (1972) **''Wind on the Water'' (1975) **''Whistling Down the Wire'' (1976) **''Crosby-Nash Live'' (1977) **''Crosby & Nash (album), Crosby & Nash'' (2004) *Crosby, Stills & Nash: **''Daylight Again'' (1982) *Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: ** ''CSNY 1974'' (2014) *Rodney Crowell – ''Diamonds & Dirt'' (1989) *Aselin Debison – ''Sweet Is the Melody'' (2002) *Jackie DeShannon – ''To Be Free'' (1970) * Neil Diamond: **''Beautiful Noise'' (1976) **''Christmas Album'' (1992) **''Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building'' (1993) **''In My Lifetime'' (1996) **''Classics: The Early Years/Jazz Singer/Beautiful Noise'' (1997) **''Three Chord Opera'' (2001) *Denny Doherty – ''Watcha' Gonna Do?'' (1971) *

: **''Dylan (1973 album), Dylan'' (1973) **''Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (album), Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid'' (1973) **''Masterpieces (Bob Dylan album), Masterpieces'' (1978) *Yvonne Elliman – ''Night Flight'' (1978) *England Dan & John Ford Coley – ''Fables'' (1971) *The Everly Brothers – ''Stories We Could Tell'' (1972) *Don Felder – ''Airborne'' (1983) *

: **''Souvenirs (Dan Fogelberg album), Souvenirs'' (1974) **''Captured Angel'' (1975) **''Nether Lands'' (1977) **''Phoenix (Dan Fogelberg album), Phoenix'' (1979) **''The Innocent Age'' (1981) **''Windows and Walls'' (1984) **''High Country Snows'' (1985) **''Exiles (Dan Fogelberg album), Exiles'' (1987) **''The Wild Places (Dan Fogelberg album), The Wild Places'' (1990) **''River of Souls'' (1993) *

– ''Soul Searchin' (Glenn Frey album), Soul Searchin''' (1988) *Richie Furay – ''I Still Have Dreams'' (1979) *

: **''Breakaway'' (1975) **''Scissors Cut'' (1981) **''Songs from a Parent to a Child'' (1997) *David Gates: **''First (David Gates album), First'' (1973) **''Goodbye Girl (David Gates album), Goodbye Girl'' (1978) **''Falling in Love Again (David Gates album), Falling in Love Again'' (1980) *Deborah Gibson, Debbie Gibson – ''Think with Your Heart, Think With Your Heart'' (1995) *Louise Goffin – ''Kid Blue'' (1979) *Andrew Gold: **''What's Wrong with This Picture? (Andrew Gold album), What's Wrong With This Picture'' (1976) **''All This and Heaven Too (album), All This and Heaven Too'' (1978) *Jimmy Griffin – ''Breakin' Up Is Easy'' (1973) *Nanci Griffith – ''Lone Star State of Mind'' (1987) *Arlo Guthrie: **''Amigo (Arlo Guthrie album), Amigo'' (1976) **''Power of Love'' (1982) *Emmylou Harris: **''The Ballad of Sally Rose'' (1985) **''Portraits'' (1996) *Don Henley – ''I Can't Stand Still'' (1982) *Bill Hughes (musician), Bill Hughes – ''Dream Master (album), Dream Master'' (1979) *Brian Hyland – ''Brian Hyland'' (1970) *Elton John and Tim Rice – ''Aida (musical), Aida'' (1999) *Tom Jones (singer), Tom Jones – ''Lead and How to Swing It'' (1994) *Casey Kelly (songwriter), Casey Kelly – ''Casey Kelly'' (1972) *

: **''Best of B.B. King'' (1973) **''King of the Blues'' (1992) **''Greatest Hits'' (1998) **''Anthology'' (2000) **''B.B. King & Friends: 80, 80'' (2005) **''Ultimate Collection'' (2005) * Carole King: **''Music (Carole King album), Music'' (1971) **''Thoroughbred (Carole King album), Thoroughbred'' (1976) **''Speeding Time'' (1983) **''Love Makes the World'' (2001) *Tony Kosinec – ''Bad Girl Songs'' (1970) *Leah Kunkel – ''Leah Kunkel'' (1979) * Lyle Lovett: ** ''Joshua Judges Ruth'' (1992) **''I Love Everybody'' (1994) **''The Road to Ensenada'' (1996) **''Step Inside This House'' (1998) **''My Baby Don't Tolerate'' (2003) **''Smile (Lyle Lovett album), Smile'' (2003) **''It's Not Big It's Large'' (2007) *Kate Markowitz – ''Map of the World'' (2003) *Richard Marx – ''Paid Vacation'' (1994) * Reba McEntire: **''Last One to Know'' (1987) **''Reba (album), Reba'' (1988) **''Sweet Sixteen (Reba McEntire album), Sweet Sixteen'' (1989) *Kate & Anna McGarrigle – ''Kate & Anna McGarrigle (album), Kate & Anna McGarrigle'' (1975) *Pat McGee Band, Pat McGee - ''Pat McGee'' (2015) *Roger McGuinn: **''Peace on You'' (1974) **''Born to Rock and Roll'' (1992) **''Roger McGuinn/Peace on You'' (2004) *Bette Midler – ''Broken Blossom'' (1977) * Joni Mitchell: **''

'' (1971) **'' For the Roses'' (1972) *Maria Muldaur – ''Sweet Harmony (album), Sweet Harmony/Open Your Eyes'' (2003) *Anne Murray – ''Anne Murray (album), Anne Murray'' (1996) *Graham Nash: **''Earth & Sky (album), Earth & Sky'' (1980) **''Songs for Survivors'' (2002) *Aaron Neville: **''Warm Your Heart'' (1991) **''Ultimate Collection'' (2001) * Stevie Nicks: **''The Wild Heart (album), The Wild Heart'' (1983) **''Rock a Little'' (1985) *The

: **''Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy'' (1970) **''Stars & Stripes Forever (album), Stars & Stripes Forever'' (1974) **''Dirt, Silver and Gold'' (1976) *Dolly Parton – ''Heartbreak Express'' (1982) *Shawn Phillips: **''Bright White'' (1973) **''Spaced'' (1977) *Bonnie Raitt – ''Nine Lives (Bonnie Raitt album), Nine Lives'' (1986) *

– ''

'' (1972) *Helen Reddy – ''Helen Reddy (album), Helen Reddy'' (1971) *

: **''Don't Cry Now'' (1973) **''Heart Like a Wheel'' (1974) **''Prisoner in Disguise'' (1975) **''Hasten Down the Wind'' (1976) **''Living in the U.S.A.'' (1978) **'' Mad Love'' (1980) **''Get Closer (Linda Ronstadt album), Get Closer'' (1982) **''Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind'' (1989) **''Winter Light (Linda Ronstadt album), Winter Light'' (1994) **''Feels Like Home (Linda Ronstadt album), Feels Like Home'' (1995) **''We Ran'' (1998) **''Mi Jardin Azul: Las Canciones Favoritas'' (2004) *Diana Ross – ''Force Behind the Power'' (1991) *Jennifer Rush – ''Heart over Mind (Jennifer Rush album), Heart Over Mind'' (1987) *Shawna Russell - ''Goddess'' (2007) *Carole Bayer Sager: **''Carole Bayer Sager'' (1977) **''Too'' (1978) *Sanne Salomonsen: **''Where Blue Begins'' (1991) **''Sannes Bästa, Vol. 2'' (2000) *Leo Sayer – ''Leo Sayer (album), Leo Sayer'' (1978) *Seals and Crofts: **''Summer Breeze (album), Summer Breeze'' (1972) **''Year of Sunday'' (1972) *Neil Sedaka: **''Sedaka's Back'' (1975) **''Steppin' Out (Neil Sedaka album), Steppin' Out'' (1976) **''In the Pocket (Neil Sedaka album), In the Pocket'' (1980) *Bob Seger, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band: **''The Distance (Bob Seger album), The Distance'' (1982) **''Like a Rock'' (1986) **''

'' (1991) **''It's a Mystery'' (1995) **''Greatest Hits 2 (Bob Seger album), Greatest Hits 2'' (2003) *Feargal Sharkey – ''Wish (Feargal Sharkey album), Wish'' (1988) * Carly Simon: **''Hotcakes (Carly Simon), Hotcakes'' (1974) **''Playing Possum'' (1975) **''Spoiled Girl'' (1985) **''Coming Around Again (Carly Simon), Coming Around Again'' (1987) **''This Is My Life (Carly Simon album), This Is My Life'' (1992) **''Anthology (Carly Simon), Anthology'' (2002) **''Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits'' (2004) *J.D. Souther – ''Black Rose (J. D. Souther album), Black Rose'' (1976) *Jimmie Spheeris – ''Original Tap Dancing Kid'' (1973) *Rick Springfield – ''Mission Magic'' (1974) *Stealin Horses – ''Stealin Horses'' (1985) *Al Stewart: **''24 Carrots'' (1980) **''Just Yesterday'' (2005) *John Stewart (folk musician), John Stewart: **''Willard (album), Willard'' (1970) **''The Lonesome Picker Rides Again'' (1971) **''Sunstorm (John Stewart album), Sunstorm'' (1971) **''Wingless Angels'' (1975) **''Bombs Away Dream Babies'' (1979) **''Dream Babies Go Hollywood'' (1980) * Stephen Stills: **''Live'' (1975) **''Stills (Stephen Stills album), Stills'' (1975) **''Turnin' Back the Pages'' (2003) **''Man Alive'' (2005) *Barbra Streisand – ''Emotion (Barbra Streisand album), Emotion'' (1984) * Talbot Bros.– ''Talbot Bros.'' (1974) *Mariya Takeuchi – '':ja:UNIVERSITY STREET, UNIVERSITY STREET'' (1979) *

: **''

'' (1970) **''Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon'' (1971) **'' One Man Dog'' (1972) **''

'' (1975) **''Greatest Hits (James Taylor album), Greatest Hits'' (1976) **''In the Pocket (James Taylor album), In the Pocket'' (1976) **''JT (album), JT'' (1977) **''Flag (James Taylor album), Flag'' (1979) *Kate Taylor – ''Sister Kate (album), Sister Kate'' (1971) *Livingston Taylor – ''Man's Best Friend (album), Man's Best Friend'' (1980) *Uncle Kracker: **''No Stranger to Shame'' (2002) **''Seventy Two and Sunny'' (2004) *Anna Vissi – ''Everything I Am (album), Everything I Am'' (2001) *

: **''So What (Joe Walsh album), So What'' (1975) **''There Goes the Neighborhood (album), There Goes the Neighborhood'' (1981) *

– ''Love Has Got Me'' (1973) *Jamie Walters: **''Jamie Walters (album), Jamie Walters'' (1994) **''Ride (Jamie Walters album), Ride'' (1997) *Jennifer Warnes – ''Jennifer Warnes (album), Jennifer Warnes'' (1977) *Was (Not Was) – ''What Up, Dog?'' (1988) *Jimmy Webb – ''Suspending Disbelief'' (1993) *Paul Williams (songwriter), Paul Williams: **''Life Goes On (Paul Williams album), Life Goes On'' (1972) **''Just an Old Fashioned Love Song'' (1971) *Carnie Wilson, Carnie and Wendy Wilson – ''Hey Santa!'' (1993) *Wilson Phillips – ''California (Wilson Phillips album), California'' (2004) * Steve Winwood – ''Refugees of the Heart'' (1990) *Bill Withers: **''Menagerie (album), Menagerie'' (1977) **'''Bout Love'' (1979) *

– ''Comes a Time'' (1978) *Neil Young & Crazy Horse (band), Crazy Horse – ''Zuma (album), Zuma'' (1975) *

: **''

'' (1978) **''The Envoy (Warren Zevon album), The Envoy'' (1982) **''I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology)'' (1996) **''Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon'' (2002)

Soundtracks

*''Arachnophobia (film), Arachnophobia'' (1990) *''Catwalk (Canadian TV series), Catwalk'' (1994) *''Certain Fury'' (1985) *''Clockstoppers'' (2002) *''Coast to Coast (1980 film), Coast to Coast'' (1977) *''Dr. T & the Women'' (2000) *''Moment by Moment#Soundtrack, Moment by Moment'' (1978) *''Road House (1989 film), Roadhouse'' (1989) *''Straight Talk'' (1992) *''The Warriors (film), Warriors'' (1979) *''RV (film), RV'' (2006)

Producer

* Jimmy Buffett: **''Fruitcakes'' (1994) **''Barometer Soup'' (1995) **''Banana Wind'' (1996) **''Christmas Island (Jimmy Buffett album), Christmas Island'' (1996) **''Beach House on the Moon'' (1999) **''Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection'' (2003) *Clannad: **''Rogha: The Best of Clannad'' (1997) **''Ultimate Collection'' (1997) **''Greatest Hits'' (2000) **''Best of Clannad: In a Lifetime'' (2004) *Derek Trucks, The Derek Trucks Band —''Joyful Noise'' (2002) *

- ''Love Songs (Dan Fogelberg), Love Songs'' (1995) *Aaron Neville - ''20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The'' (2002) * Carly Simon: **''Clouds In My Coffee'' (1995) **''The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better'' (1998) **"Coming Around Again (Carly Simon song), Coming Around Again" (1987) **"Spoiled Girl" (1985) *Jane Wiedlin: **''Jane Wiedlin (album), Jane Wiedlin'' (1985) **''Very Best of Jane Wiedlin'' (1993)

Other

*Nicolette Larson - ''Very Best of Nicolette Larson'' (1999) (Liner notes)

References

External links

*
Certain Fury O.S.T. (1985)Russ Kunkel Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunkel, Russ American session musicians Living people 1948 births Musicians from Pittsburgh Musicians from Los Angeles American rock drummers American country drummers Conga players Timbaleros Bongo players Timpanists Castanets players Snare drummers Tambourine players American marimbists Carly Simon 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Coral Reefer Band members