R.I.P. Leon RusSell 1942 - 2016

So long the sideman, Leon Russell is finally getting his time in the spotlight. The magnificently bearded singer-songwriter played with everyone George Harrison to Frank Sinatra during his time as a Los Angeles session musician in the 50s and 60s. Over the next four decades he kept up a constant stream of quality work, collaborating with and producing the biggest names in the business, as well building his own solo discography.

The late 90s and 00s were relatively fallow periods for Russell, but his 2013 collaborative effort with Elton John, The Union, earned him a Grammy nod. The next year saw the release of Life Journey, an album primarily made up of covers, on which tracks by the likes of Billy Joel and Paul Anka were swamped in Russell's big band soul. Catch Russell when he plays in , , .