Was unable to provide a review based on personal family issues and time constraints....my apologies to the publishing firm.

I listened to the remarkable music of Leon Russell never knowing the price he paid to forever change music, a seminal influence on music and creativity. In LEON Russell, Bill Janovitz shares the story of this multi-talented musician who contributed, shaped, and influenced the music we listened to then, resonating to our current time. While parts of Russell's life were difficult to read, Janovitz shares the events and the outcomes with an even-handed focus on the artist he was and the inspiration he provided. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Leon Russell was everywhere and then nowhere. This excellent biography details his life, struggles, and successes. It’s a shame that he’s not more well-known to the world of music.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette Books for an ARC of this book.

Leon Russell was one of my all-time favorite singer/songwriter/performance artists. He was a genius, and troubled as most are. But he was a good man who respected people different from himself and took aims to demonstrate it. He wrote many great songs and did things few others have accomplished in their lifetimes. Glad he made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before he went away. Interesting book.

A passion of mine is reading rock biographies, particularly about The Beatles and other classic rock figures. An intriguing musical artist kept popping up in the background during these reads: Leon Russell. Mysterious (and a bit scary) in his mirrored aviator shades, long, early gray hair, and audacious top hat. In pictures he rarely smiles, but absolutely commands on concert stages. I had to know more.

A son of Tulsa Oklahoma, born in 1942 with a birth injury that weakened his right side causing a slight limp and the need to over-compensate on piano with his left hand, Leon took the music industry by storm. A lot of people don't know this guy, yet he was a part of so much- playing on major hit records along with The Wrecking Crew, a masterful arranger of songs and musical director/participant of concerts such as the "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" with Joe Cocker. He also performed at George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh". He is the composer of huge classic hits made famous by other people such as "This Masquerade", "A Song for You" and "Superstar"...all these recorded by The Carpenters. I nearly cried when I read that he wrote the song "Lost Inside of You' with Barbra Streisand for her 70s version of the movie "A Star is Born". This movie in which she starred with Kris Kristofferson was one of the movies of my life that made a big impression on me as a teenager, and that song has always been my favorite/buried treasure song from that soundtrack.

This almost 600-page biography is certainly lengthy, but it needed to be. Leon Russell was a multi-faceted talent who was driven totally by musical force and lived it that way. He had a penchant for buying homes in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, California and Tennessee, but would instantly build a new recording studio in each one. These homes became a quasi-commune as he would encourage his musical mates to be live-ins. He also was on the cutting edge of new recording technologies, owning the first drum machine, mellotron, 40-track recording console and mobile video recording unit. As a result he was often in debt, another reason for his relentless touring until the end of his life. Leon was also a suspected bipolar/manic depressive/autistic, an assessment by many close to him. While his talent and innate kindness was undeniable, his social graces were awkward. He had a tendency to trust certain people to do things for him rather than hire more reliable people, and also a penchant for running all things himself. He created Shelter Records in 1969.

A great many icons of the music and entertainment industry graciously participated in interviews for this book. There are also many direct quotes from Leon Russell himself, culled from his writings that made a very short book called " Leon Russell In His Own Words". As far as I know, there isn't another mammoth Leon Russell tome out there that covers the breadth of his amazing life so completely as this. I highly recommend this wonderful book to all classic rock fans.

Thank you to the publisher Hachette Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History will be published on March 14, 2023. Hatchette Books provided an early galley for review.

This one of those names in music history I recognize, but it is a story about which I know very little. Ask me to name some of his songs and all I can give you is "Tight Rope" from 1972. But as a huge music nerd, I realized that this a biography I needed to check out.

Janovitz is very thorough in his documenting Russell's life. As a musician himself, he provides an accurate account of studio and tour activities in a very understandable, reader-friendly way. He makes sure that every known detail is told.

A couple facts from Russell's life jumped out at me that I really appreciated. He had his hand in the Gary Lewis and the Playboys' hit "This Diamond Ring" which happened to be number 1 on the US Billboard charts the day I was born. He was very much the "Kevin Bacon" of the music world in the 60's and 70's; so many artists and industry folks can be connected to Russell by a few if not one degree of separation. For example, I did not know about his relationship with Rita Collidge, a singer whose songs I enjoyed in the 70's. Also, the Carpenters had major hits covering songs he wrote or co-wrote.

In the end, this is a stark look at the life of someone had major impact on the world of popular music and who, tragically, ended up in a very real, very relatable way. This book will serve well to remind people of his legacy.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for an advanced copy of the biography on one of the unheralded stars of music that might whose songs, works and arrangements still fill the radio waves today.

Even rock stars have heroes, and even the biggest rock star can be a groupie. There are people the biggest stars still want to jam with, work with, party with and be a part of their scene. People who rock stars sit and go, dang how did they do that, how do they get that sound, what is their magic, and how do I get some. Members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Elton John especially loved one performer, one whose ear they admired, one whose arrangements they wanted to steal, and whose albums they wanted to be on, and that was Leon Russell. As a pianist Elton John loved his style and wanted to play like him. As an arranger and composer woodwinds, Randy Newman couldn't believe what he could do without training. 2 Beatles played on his first solo album, and John Lennon watched from the control room. These are only some of the remarkable stories that Bill Janovitz relates in his masterwork of a biography on the enigmatic musician Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock & Roll History, which offers a comprehensive view of this complicated music maker, his demons, ability, loss and recovery, and of course a lot of songs.

Leon Russell was born Claude Russell Bridges in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1942. The doctor delivering him was a little quick with the forceps, leaving Russell with a limp and some problems on his right side, and causing his left hand to be stronger. This gave him a distinctive style of playing piano which he started playing before the age of five, learning to play other instruments as he got older. Russell became a professional musician at 14 with his own band that soon was backing Jerry Lee Lewis on his first comeback tour, the "comeback from marrying his cousin" as Russell called it. Soon Russell went to California where he began working in studios after faking a union card, being too young to get on legally. Soon he was playing for the Brian Wilson, Frank Sinatra, and he became a part of the famed Wrecking Crew who backed so many musicians on hundreds of classic songs. Russell was part of a few different record labels, his own studio, built in his home and he gained a steady reputation as the guy with an ear, slightly moody, but with gifts. Soon he was arranging for Joe Cocker's tour of America, while playing songs from his first album, and the spotlight was soon where he wanted to be

A monumental study of a musician who really did play with everyone and everyone wanted to play with him. Not as well known as he should be, the songs that he worked on, or just appeared on are some of the biggest songs of sixty years. Bill Janovitz does a great job of keeping track of all of them. The book is full of interviews, all revealing, sometimes to the people being interviewed. Health issues, mental issues, physical issues, all were a part of this man, and in seeing all that he accomplished makes his work rate even more impressive. The book is really very well written, sourced, and never drags even as it covers the life of Russell in full. I don't think is a part of his life that isn't examined or explained, but the book never drags. The names, the people involved all the work that Russell, and in turn Janovitz did in covering him, is just amazing. I learned a lot about music, and about an era of music I thought I knew alot about. Just a wonderful book.

Recommended for music fans especially. The songs, the names, the interviews, this is a goldmine of information and facts that will make anyone with a love of music just go crazy and geek out. Even the most casual of music fans will get something from this book, and a lot of songs to listen to or buy on vinyl. This is the second book by Bill Janovitz I have read, and I really can not wait to see what subject he covers next.

As someone who grew up in the 60’s and the 70’s, who knew that Leon Russell played on so many number one recordings. He joined the Wrecking Crew before they had their name! He even played on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album. Folk music, rock n roll, bluegrass, country and western music……Leon Russell produced and played all those different genres. He certainly lived an exciting life! I wish he had taken better care of himself; we miss him all the time. The author, Bill Janovitz, should receive an award for the amount of time and dedication it took him to research and write this wonderful book. Thank you to NetGalley and to Hachette Books for the ePub. I LOVED THIS BOOK, and I loved Leon Russell, the legend, great talent that he was!!!

Leon Russell was one of the seminal musical influences of the 60's and 70's. He was from Tulsa OK, and started playing the piano at a very young age.in the 60's he moved to California and made his mark with his bluesy, country rock vibe. This book brings Leon Russell's fascinating life to the page, and will be a delight to his many fans.

Thank you Bill Janovitz for your masterful biography of Leon Russell.
My introduction to Mr. Russell came in 197o when he was part of Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour and George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh. I had no idea at the time that he had been a young studio musician for Jan and Dean, The Beach Boys, Gary Lewis and the Playboys and would play and produce for the likes of Sinatra, Dylan and Herb Alpert (to name a few). His soulful style, the beauty of his piano playing and the power of his lyrics produced nothing short of magic on every solo albums and stadium tour.
Mr. Janovitz weaves Leon’s path of in rich detail; each note, each moment, each triumph and struggle is shared with candor and respect.
This is a marvelous biography. It was my honor to not only read it but to be transported on this journey with the author and the late Mr. Russell. A must read and highly recommended.
Thank you NetGalley, Bill Janovitz and Hachette Books for anARC in exchange for an honest book review.

This is a tough one to review. The author did a very good job, but my interest in Russell pretty much ends with Leon Live & Bangladesh. The fact that the author was able to keep the rest of the book interesting enough that I was able to finish it is a huge compliment!

As far as LR, I find the Wrecking Ball period from an intellectual POV & have seen the documentary. What really got me into Leon's music as a teen was Mad Dogs & Englishmen, the solo debut, & the TV show (PBS ran it in Seattle) mentioned in the book. I also enjoyed his set on Bangladesh, parts of Leon Live & parts of the Sheler People & Marc Benno collaborations. And that's it.

Reading about the rest of a wasted career was challenging, but the author was able to keep it moderately interesting. Obviously, a lot of work went into the book; but unfortunately the main take away is kind of a dysfunctional family tree.

What I learned: LR was bi-polar & had autism. I wasn't aware of either. I also liked that we didn't spend any significant time of Leon' childhood.

I would be interested in checking out more of this author's work; but nothing he wrote made me want to check out any more of LR's work (I've already heard several of the clunkers).

5 stars for the author, 2 1/2 for the subject.

Note To the publisher: At The time of review, Amazon was not yet accepting reviews for this book. I am waiting for approval (which I have always gotten in the past) from Barnes & Noble. I will add links when available.

I had a huge stack of books to read and I dropped them all when I received the advance review copy from Netgalley. Leon Russell was at the height of his career on the early 1970s, while I was still in high school and I spent my first earnings on his albums. I was fortunate to see him play with Willie Nelson at some of the "picnic" outdoor concerts in Texas. Russell was a gifted songwriter and piano player, with almost evangelical style of performing. He was a musical protégé from Tulsa, OK who started his career touring with Jerry Lee Lewis, who I am sure greatly informed Russell's style. He worked in California record studios as a session musician in a group informally called the Wrecking Crew. Russell was a session musician on many albums recorded during that era including everyone from the Beach Boys to Frank Sinatra. He learned to arrange music and built his own music studio. He recorded and published other artists as well as his own music. Russell had a strange presence and swagger that many emulated and few matched.. The pentacle of his career came during the Concert for Bangladesh where he joined George Harrison singing "Beware of Darkness" and the crowd went crazy. He had many musical partners including Joe Crocker, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles and Elton John. Russell overcame neurological difficulties from a birth injury, but he succumbed to poor health and passed away in 2016. He left a rich legacy to his fans and fellow musicians including "A Song for You" which was recorded more than 40 times. Many thanks to author for the meticulous research on this extremely talented performer.