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Leon Russell


Oklahoma pianist and songman Leon Russell carved out a career in the 1960s as a session player and studio hand before striking out on his own the following decade with a memorable, gospel-informed boogie sound. In the late ‘70s and into the ‘80s, Russell released a string of country records under the pseudonym Hank Wilson before drifting into obscurity. In 2010, Elton John invited Russell to collaborate on an album titled The Union; the T-Bone Burnett-produced LP cast Russell back into the spotlight, giving his career a second wind. The charismatic, white-bearded singer-songwriter is back in Athens for a must-see show at The Foundry on Wednesday.

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