[78-L] Bob Russell, was EFHJREM

[Taylor Bowie]

Thanks for the correction on the lyrics,  Ray.  I had always assumed that 
Russell wrote the lyrics,  as they seem to have the literate flavor of his 
Ellington work.

Talk about brilliant images...Don't Get Around Much Anymore is nothing but.

My favorite Bob Russell couplet is in I Didn't Know About You:  "I ran 
around with my own little crowd/  The usual laughs,  not often but loud..."

Boy...does that give you a word picture of a sad and empty life...perfect!

Taylor



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "RAY KILCOYNE" <kil at roadrunner.com>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 4:24 AM
Subject: Re: [78-L] I'M BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT, was EFHJREM


> Can't help you with the James arranger for "LIGHT".  Seems to be a 
> well-kept
> secret.  I have a session list of all the musicians on the date from a CD
> booklet, but no arranger credit.
> I believe Don George wrote the lyrics.  Bob Russell did write lyrics for a
> couple of other Ellington tunes which may be the cause of the confusion.
> Russell died early in 1970, so HE AIN'T HEAVY was likely his last big hit.
> RayK
>>
> From: "Taylor Bowie"
>>I love the James band as well.  I've always preferred his  version  of I'm
>> Beginning To See The Light (with the cool Allen Reuss intro and coda and 
>> a
>> great Kitty Kallen vocal) to the lumbering  Ellington rendition which was
>> issued around the same time...on that one the Ellington reed section just
>> sounds like an industrial strength vacuum cleaner.  It is a great song 
>> but
>> the I think the James arrangement is way better than was Duke's of his 
>> own
>> tune.  Any of you James fans know who wrote that chart?
>>
>> I heard James live here in Seattle in '75 with a very good local pick-up
>> band...he was still playing great stuff,  both the ballads and the hot
>> tunes.
>>
>> Bob Russell, who wrote lyrics for "Light" and many of Ellington's other
>> best
>> melodies in the late 30s and 40s,  was one of the most underrated of the
>> time.  I'm not sure how late he was doing song lyrics,  but those are his
>> words on the late 60s tune He Ain't Heavy,  He's My Brother,  which was a
>> big hit for The Hollies.
>
>
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