Publishers Weekly
02/27/2023
Janovitz (Rocks Off), front man of the band Buffalo Tom, celebrates an underappreciated rocker in this sprawling but unsuccessful biography. The author charts Leon Russell’s path from his Oklahoma upbringing, to stints as a studio pianist and producer, to touring with his band the Shelter People in the 1970s, zeroing in on his descent into decades-long obscurity before his 2016 death (a slump notably punctuated by a 2010 collaborative album with Elton John, who petitioned the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to induct Russell). The author credits Russell with a bluesy, gospel-inflected musical style, and a redneck-hippie persona—long hair, beard, scruffy top hat—that influenced performers such as like bassist Leon Wilkeson of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Janovitz tends to overhype Russell’s music (for instance, he judges the forgettable “A Song for You” to be “perfect”), but takes an illuminating dive into the rock biz’s middle stratum of session musicians and B-list acts that undergird superstars’ hits. While Russell’s rise is entertainingly chronicled and woven through with lively rock ’n’ roll picaresque (“ ‘He was always... at some party or some orgy, or with everybody going to get shots for VD,’ ” observes singer Rita Coolidge)—his fall is a tiresome slog through mediocre gigs, and business and alimony wrangles. Russell’s oeuvre doesn’t measure up to the treatment Janovitz lavishes on it. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
**Rolling Stone, Variety, The Houston Chronicle, and Best Classic Band's Best Music Books of 2023, The New York Post’s Best New Books to Read**
“Get ready to truly meet Leon Russell—one of music’s most unforgettable, colorful, and supremely gifted characters. Thanks to Bill Janovitz’s thoroughly captivating storytelling, here’s the definitive portrait as lively and essential as Russell himself.”—Cameron Crowe
“There is only one man ever called the Master of Space and Time, and for good reason. Alongside his own majestic music, Leon Russell’s otherworldly cosmic touch on the keyboards has enhanced the songs of countless rock gods and goddesses, lifting them to the stratosphere. I was fortunate to be in the studio the night he played piano on the Flying Burrito Brothers’ version of the Stones' Wild Horses, and the purity of his playing made me weep. Bill Janovitz takes us on a deep dive through the swirling currents and down the rocky roads of a bonafide musical genius, capturing his huge heart in the process. Finally, a song for Leon.”—Pamela Des Barres, author of I'm with the Band
“With Leon Russell, Bill Janovitz gets right down to business…. To say Bill Janovitz is ideally equipped to write this book is an understatement....Leon Russell didn’t just play rock ’n’ roll...He was rock ’n’ roll.”—The Wall Street Journal
"An eccentric, contrary genius, Leon Russell is one of the most compelling, misunderstood, and neglected figures in rock history. Bill Janovitz has unraveled the riddle of the rock n'roll sphinx in this masterful, majestic book. His love and admiration for Russell bleeds from every paragraph, yet he pulls no punches when it comes to Leon's life or his work. Janovitz brings the circus of characters surrounding Russell to life in vivid, sometimes hilarious detail. His research is impeccable, unerring; his deeply considered opinions of Russell's music unimpeachable. This is a biography for the ages, as thrilling an inspired as any piano solo from Leon himself. You really want to know what it's like to be a flawed superstar in the fabulous world of rock? Here it is, on a fiery platter."—Jimmy McDonough, author of Shakey: Neil Young's Biography
"Bill Janovitz has drawn back the curtain on this seminal yet incredibly complex and mysterious figure in American Music. After reading the book, I feel as though I've met the man, and certainly understand so much more about this singular musical genius. A detailed, absorbing read."—Elliot Easton, The Cars
"Leon's journey in music was vast and deep. It takes a researcher and author of great insight and clarity to make sense of it and provide a map for the rest of us. Here's Bill doing exactly that."—Mike Scott, The Waterboys
“Although I’ve read just about every music biography in existence, I do have some blind spots. Case in point: when I started reading this book, I thought Leon Russell was Leon Redbone. Janovitz has schooled me so thoroughly on this musical genius I’m certain I can teach a course on Leon at my local community college.”—Jon Wurster, writer/performer/drummer (Superchunk, Bob Mould, Mountain Goats)
“The most ambitious effort yet to peel back the curtain on one of the most gifted, least understood rock artists of the 20th century.”—The Los Angeles Times
“Through it all, Janovitz shows all the strengths of his previous books: an insider’s understanding of how music is made and a literary flair for bringing that process to life on the page….[He] also manages to be a sure-footed guide through Russell’s extremely complicated personal and professional life.”—The Boston Globe
“Janovitz’s work on Russell’s peak years is impressively thorough and illuminating….Janovitz is unsparing in his recounting of Russell’s remoteness and insensitivity as it is to his deep talent and underappreciated influence, and there’s plenty of great, relatively unknown music along the way."—Variety, Best Music Books of 2023
“Incredibly detailed."—WBUR “Here and Now”
“Through highly-detailed archival research and nearly 140 fresh interviews, Janovitz…traces Russell through his upbringing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, early success as an A-list session musician in L.A. and outlier member of the fabled Wrecking Crew, key motivator and musical force in ensembles like Delaney & Bonnie and Friends and Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen records and tours, and his own solo ups (and downs…and ups). But this is no hagiography…. Janovitz has definitely unlocked many of The Master’s secrets. It’s an important piece of rock journalism.”—Houston Press
"Exhaustive study of Russell’s life and work...The good, bad and ugly, it’s all here.”—MOJO
“In an illuminating new book, the incredible highs and devastating lows of the influential musician are remembered."—The Guardian
“Bill Janovitz’s revelatory new biography…brims with reminders of Russell’s incongruous status….Janovitz’s book is more than documentation of an important career….Janovitz provides the receipts and offers a refreshing clarity, along with ample triumph and tragedy that explains both the brilliance of the legend and also the confounding lack of proper regard for his standing.”—Houston Chronicle
“Janovitz tells Russell’s rollercoaster of a life and legacy in painstaking and vivid detail….[an] epic, a wide-ranging telling of a vital figure instrumental over decades, but one who can be overlooked.”—SPIN
“It’s nearly impossible to sum up the extraordinary musical career, diversity of talents and skills, and important place Leon Russell holds, particularly at a key time in rock music. That daunting task is accomplished in spades in this new, breathtakingly complete, accomplished and definitive biography of Russell, written by Bill Janovitz, founding member of the group Buffalo Tom. It is not hyperbole to call this one of the best books on popular music in years…. Janovitz deftly and painstakingly takes the reader through Russell’s entire life…. Janovitz has written an unforgettable book about a space in time and a man who occupied that space like no other.”—TheVinylDistrict.com
“Janovitz's great achievement in writing this book is thus how he illuminates the disparity between the public perception and the private realities of this galvanizing but often conflicted figure. Whether it's in discussing Russell's stage fright, mental health or physical frailties, the author is as candid on those topics as his subject (who passed in 2016), not to mention the friends, family and collaborators Janovitz also interviews….[He] adopts just the right pace… His prose proceeds at such a fleet pace that he covers large swathes of Leon Russell's history without belaboring the salient points or including so much minutiae to deliberately impress the reader with the considerable depth and breadth of his knowledge…. Janovitz is artfully discerning in his evaluations of the man's admittedly checkered body of work.”—All About Jazz
“Leon Russell has all the makings of being the standard work on Leon Russell…. While Janovitz is clearly an admirer of Russell and the biography is authorized by Jan Bridges, Russell’s widow, this doesn’t stop Janovitz from applying a critical eye when he thinks it is appropriate…. Leon Russell not only fills in the historical gaps of Russell’s lifelong career in the music business, it also looks at Russell the person, and everyone reading the book will get a sense of knowing who Leon Russell actually was behind the various personas….Clearly, this is a must-read for all Leon Russell fans….A significant gap in the overall history of American music has been finally filled.”—Americana UK
“Bill Janovitz…does a masterful job of telling the most comprehensive story yet of Russell, a musician as complicated as he was brilliant…. Janovitz has created the authoritative look on the life of one of the most original American rock musicians to come out of the 1970s.”—Glide Magazine
“So well-researched and thorough….The book tracks, in unparalleled detail, Russell’s rise.”—TulsaWorld
“Even more impressive than the sheer amount of raw knowledge Bill Janovitz puts on display is the way he expertly elaborates on Leon Russell’s familiar résumé highlights to create a full, three-dimensional portrait of a very complicated artist (and person)….[A] stunning new biography…. Janovitz gives such a detailed account of Russell’s life and work in…that, almost without fail, any given chapter will tempt readers to put down the biography for a moment to conduct a few Spotify searches and pull up songs they never knew had any connection to Russell….Janovitz is a reliable guide through weedy turf; he turns Russell’s career ups and downs into a grand story that will appeal to general readers as well as music fans….While Janovitz is adept at pushing out just how important a role Russell played in the development of popular music, he is equally savvy about just how badly, and how often, Russell undermined himself.”—ArtsFuse
“Janovitz’s word-for-word writing is strong, and there can be no questioning the excellence of his research.”—Psychedelic Baby Magazine
“Janovitz’s exhaustively captivating profile of Russell, one of rock’s most Zelig-like and complicated figures, is… a delicious masterwork of research and insights that could only come from a musician….Janovitz does music-lovers a great service by reminding us of the extraordinary talents and contributions of Russell.”—NYSMusic.com
“Leon Russell is a wild tale, rendered in great detail by Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz, reaching beyond rock anecdote to produce an empathetic portrait of a man of singular talent."—Uncut
“Bill Janovitz's superb new biography….One of the beauties of this book is that in addition to being an excellent writer, precise with language and a fluid command that has you purring through the pages like a Cadillac, Mr. Janovitz also gets remarkably candid interviews from key people who shed valuable light on events….Mr. Janovitz has done a staggering amount of research, sourcing older interviews and weaving them in with the fresh ones to give it that added spring of an oral history while ensuring that all the major players are represented. He does this with such a skilled hand it feels like the liner notes of Derek and the Dominoes have come to life and are talking to you — like you're hanging with these dudes as they give their colorful accounts of what happened. If you love showbiz and rock-and-roll road stories, it's a cavalcade of riches….Bill Janovitz has delivered a unique biography and an all-sides portrait of Leon Russell, an artist who deserves another look if you didn't give him a fair first one. That's what I'm gonna do. Is it too late to become a ‘Leon Lifer’?”—East Hampton Star
“A fascinatingly detailed account of Russell’s multifaceted career and numerous projects….Janovitz’s compulsively readable examination of Russell’s colorful life is the definitive account that this complex figure has long deserved.”—Under the Radar
Library Journal
03/01/2023
Janovitz (Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones) takes a deep dive into the life of underappreciated rock icon Leon Russell (1942–2016). Russell moved from Tulsa to L.A. and shot to fame in the '60s and '70s as a solo artist and bandleader/arranger/producer. He collaborated with Joe Cocker, George Harrison, and Bob Dylan; he went on to influence many artists whose fame surpassed his, such as Elton John and Tom Petty. Russell epitomized the 1970s hippie ethos, living in a commune-like house and traveling with enormous entourages. The many (many) people Janovitz quotes from primary and secondary sources describe drug-fueled parties, casual sex, tour hijinks, and the inevitable rifts and feuds. They discuss his musical wizardry, dark moods, and self-destructive behavior. Family members discuss Russell's later years. Janovitz intersperses his own observations and critiques, along with exhaustive lists of musicians who played with Russell, and occasional technical descriptions of his music. VERDICT With so many overlapping narratives and meanderings, this crowdsourced mélange lacks a throughline to the main man. However, it will send Russell's fans to their hi-fis to give his music another listen.—Liz French
Kirkus Reviews
2022-12-29
An ambitiously comprehensive biography of a musical supernova.
Though the Oklahoma musician and composer’s time in the spotlight was comparatively brief, he commanded it in the early 1970s like no one else, exerting a transformative influence on rock in the process. As one of the primary creative forces behind Delaney & Bonnie, Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen, and George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh, Leon Russell (1942-2016) had a magnetic pull on artists, fellow musicians, and audiences introduced to his talents on the big screen. As a recording artist, he wrote standards often covered by others. Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and numerous other luminaries fell under his spell, wanting to channel some of the Southern gospel dynamism he injected into the rock mainstream, and unknown Tom Petty signed to his label and became a star. Then Russell seemed to disappear, or something dissipated. What happened? Janovitz, author of Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones, works his way through a complicated story. A sickly kid from Tulsa, Russell established himself as a studio superstar among studio musicians, playing on Phil Spector tracks and making hits with artists from Glen Campbell to Gary Lewis & the Playboys. Then he grew his hair and beard, experimented with LSD, and gathered a commune of kindred musical spirits around him. Russell had deep-seated insecurities and stage fright, and he was likely bipolar and perhaps autistic (both undiagnosed). He indulged heavily in shopping, eating, and sex, and he was stubborn and prone to trusting the wrong people. Though he ran out of steam, he persevered through decades, playing smaller venues. Despite his many personal and professional struggles, the story has a happy ending of sorts, with Elton John rescuing him from semi-oblivion and championing a career revival. In this exhaustively researched book, Janovitz mostly succeeds in creating a full portrait of a “Stranger in a Strange Land.”
Overlong for nonfans but certainly definitive.
