Russell DaShiell (born July 23, 1947) is an American guitarist who has recorded as a solo artist as well as playing in bands such as
Crowfoot
Crowfoot (1830 – 25 April 1890) or Isapo-Muxika ( bla, Issapóómahksika, italics=yes; syllabics: ) was a chief of the Siksika First Nation. His parents, (Packs a Knife) and (Attacked Towards Home), were Kainai. He was five years old when ...
and the
Don Harrison Band
The Don Harrison Band were a 1970s American roots rock band that featured Don Harrison on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Stu Cook on bass and piano and Doug Clifford on drums and percussion. Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford were both former memb ...
, and with
Harvey Mandel
Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945) is an American guitarist best known as a member of Canned Heat. He also played with Charlie Musselwhite and John Mayall as well as maintaining a solo career.
Early life
Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan, ...
,
Phil Everly
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...
and
Norman Greenbaum
Norman Joel Greenbaum (born November 20, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. He is primarily known for his 1969 song "Spirit in the Sky".
Early life
Greenbaum was born in Malden, Massachusetts. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish househol ...
. Russell was also one of the first people to have a Les Paul humbucker bridge pickup in a strat in 1970.
Career
Born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, DaShiell lived on
Oahu
Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O†...
, Hawaii between the ages of three and fifteen, taking up guitar at the age of fourteen.Ruhlmann, William Russell DaShiell Biography ,
Allmusic
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 databa ...
. Retrieved June 29, 2013 He moved with his parents to Florida in 1963, where he formed a band that played cover songs in the local beach clubs. He then joined Doug Killmer's band The Sonics, which after the addition of drummer Rick Jaeger became The Beau Gentry in 1965.Accardi, Joseph J. (2008) ''Beloit's Club Pop House'', Arcadia Publishing, , p. 96 The Beau Gentry spent the next year in Florida developing a following, and in 1966 they were booked for a summer tour of Wisconsin by Ken Adamany (who would later manage
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen ...
). The tour went so well they decided to stay in the area. After two years of gigging in the midwest, the band evolved into
Crowfoot
Crowfoot (1830 – 25 April 1890) or Isapo-Muxika ( bla, Issapóómahksika, italics=yes; syllabics: ) was a chief of the Siksika First Nation. His parents, (Packs a Knife) and (Attacked Towards Home), were Kainai. He was five years old when ...
and relocated to San Francisco in December, 1968.
With Crowfoot struggling to make ends meet, DaShiell began working as a session guitarist in the S.F. Bay area, playing on A.B. Skhy's 1969 debut album, and going on to play in
Harvey Mandel
Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945) is an American guitarist best known as a member of Canned Heat. He also played with Charlie Musselwhite and John Mayall as well as maintaining a solo career.
Early life
Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan, ...
's band with Rick Jaeger. He also played on
Norman Greenbaum
Norman Joel Greenbaum (born November 20, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. He is primarily known for his 1969 song "Spirit in the Sky".
Early life
Greenbaum was born in Malden, Massachusetts. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish househol ...
's ''
Spirit in the Sky
"Spirit in the Sky" is a song by American singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum, originally written and recorded by Greenbaum and released in late 1969 from the album of the same name. The single became a gold record, selling two million copies f ...
'' album, with Doug Killmer on bass, which included the chart-topping
title track
A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title.
Title track may a ...
. He then toured with Greenbaum and played on his next two albums. His success prompted him to revive Crowfoot, securing a record deal with Paramount Records, although the band's self-titled 1970 album was largely a DaShiell solo effort, as was its 1971 follow-up ''Find the Sun'' on ABC Dunhill.Album Reviews: Special Merit Picks , '' Billboard'', September 26, 1970, p. 64. Retrieved June 29, 2013Album Reviews: Crowfoot – Find the Sun , '' Billboard'', October 2, 1971, p. 48. Retrieved June 29, 2013
DaShiell relocated to Hollywood in the early 1970s and continued his session work, recording with artists such as
Phil Everly
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...
,
Danny O'Keefe
Danny O'Keefe (born May 20, 1943) is an American folk singer and songwriter.
Career
In 1968, O'Keefe was a member of a four-man heavy psychedelic rock band named Calliope. The group recorded one album, ''Steamed'', for Buddah Records before di ...
,
Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...
,
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Creedence Clearwater Revival member
Tom Fogerty
Thomas Richard Fogerty (November 9, 1941 – September 6, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Biography
...
, recording his album ''Myopia'' with
Stu Cook
Stuart Alden Cook (born April 25, 1945) is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work in the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Career
Cook, along with Doug Clif ...
and
Doug Clifford
Douglas Raymond Clifford (born April 24, 1945) is an American drummer, best known as a founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. After the group disbanded in late 1972 ...
, also former Creedence members. He went on to work with Cook and Clifford on solo material and joined them in the
Don Harrison Band
The Don Harrison Band were a 1970s American roots rock band that featured Don Harrison on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Stu Cook on bass and piano and Doug Clifford on drums and percussion. Stu Cook and Doug "Cosmo" Clifford were both former memb ...
Lakeland Ledger
''The Ledger'' is a daily newspaper serving Lakeland, Florida, and the Polk County area.
The paper was founded on August 22, 1924, as the ''Lakeland Evening Ledger''. In 1927, it bought its main competitor, the morning ''Lakeland Star-Telegram ...
'', June 28, 1976, p. 2D. Retrieved June 29, 2013
DaShiell finally released solo material after signing with Epic Records. The ''Elevator'' album, featuring his collaborations with Cook and Clifford, was released in 1978.Salloum, Rod (1978) Russel DaShiell, Elevator, Epic , ''
Star Phoenix
''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.com ...
'', April 15, 1978, p. 8 (Accent section). Retrieved June 29, 2013
Although his solo career was initially short-lived, he continued to work on various projects, including a single and album with new band 'I Spy' in the 1980s with Doug Clifford on drums, signing with Sonet in Sweden.Dupler, Steven (1985) Audio Track , '' Billboard'', March 9, 1985, p. 43. Retrieved June 29, 2013 He also worked on a solo album by Doug Clifford. By the end of the 1980s he had moved into television soundtrack and editing work, notably on ''
In Living Color
''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in ...
''.
In the early 1990s he and his former Crowfoot bandmates Doug Killmer and Rick Jaeger were reunited to record the EP ''Mesenger'' in 1994. In the late 1990s DaShiell moved to Lake Tahoe and composed for advertising while continuing to record solo material. In 2000 he moved to Maui, writing and recording the albums ''Island Life'' and ''Foreverland'', which he is currently updating for a 2022 release via his website spiritguitar.com.