John Brendan Russell |
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As the father of three small children, John constantly draws on his experience as a parent for songwriting material. These songs have been garnering attention because they mix humor and family values in a fresh new way.
John was born in Baltimore , Maryland into an Air Force family, and his earliest years were spent in rural Mississippi , northern Minnesota , and central Illinois , until his family settled in the Chicago area. John attended the University of Illinois in Champaign , and began performing with various acoustic duets and trio's on campus. After college, he returned to Chicago , and began performing throughout the area with a variety of bands.
His writing style can best be described as Country / Americana and is influenced by Jim Croce, Merle Haggard, Jerry Reed, CW McCall and Steve Earle. One outside influence in his writing has been the artwork of Norman Rockwell. One of John's objectives in his writing is to capture Rockwell's ability to tell stories of daily life with reality and humor.
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In 2002, John's debut album, "The Bluefish Manifesto" was released independently. One of the songs from this album received commercial attention. John and his song "Anyway" were featured on WXRT (93.1FM) during their "Local Anesthetic" segment.
In 2003, John moved the family down to Nashville to be closer to the music industry. He performs each week at venues including The Bluebird Café, The French Quarter Café, and The Commodore Lounge. According to John," Nashville provides a songwriter with a supportive artist community, and it's a great place to raise a family".
John's current release, "Family Portrait" features 10 original songs with an often humorous, sometimes touching look at family life. The musical styles include traditional country, western swing, bluegrass, rock-a-billy and adult contemporary. The songs are geared toward parents, but the whole family will appreciate the positive nature of the lyrics. The kids will dance, the parents will laugh, and the grandparents will knowingly smile. |
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© 2006 John Brendan Russell
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