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Songwriters Anonymous - Part Three
By Mary Dawson

Welcome to the third installment (See, Part One, Part Two) in our quest to
find the gifted storytellers behind our favorite songs. As we have been
learning, many of them are completely anonymous -- unknown to us because we
associate their songs with the singers who made them famous. We scarcely
entertain a passing thought about the soul of the writer who forged our
favorites on the anvil of his life experiences.

For example, who do you think is the author of these powerful words?
I love you in a place where there's no space or time
I love you for my life -- you are a friend of mine
And when my life is over
Remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singing this song for you
You might guess that this is the work of 19th Century romantic poet,
Elizabeth Barrett Browning・r the heartfelt creation of her contemporary,
Percy Bysshe Shelley. But, be honest! How many of you would have known that
these words were penned by...

Leon Russell

Leon who?

Well, actually, his real name is Claude Russell Bridges and if you are a
long time resident of Tulsa, you may have known him or his family. Nothing
ringing a bell yet? Well, let's go back to his lyrics above. I'll bet that
as soon as you hear the first notes of his beautiful composition, "A Song
for You," you will recognize it immediately. You have your choice of artists
because it has been recorded by vocalists as diverse as Willie Nelson, Ray
Charles, Andy Williams, Aretha Franklin, Simply Red, Christina Aguilera and
Michael Buble (just to name a few). Recently, it was impeccably performed
again by American Idol, Elliott Yamin, in the 2006 American Idol Finals.

One reviewer has described Leon Russell as "pop music's most anonymous big
shot." Always just below the radar, Leon has written and worked with some of
the greatest names in music. Beginning a study of classical piano at age
three, he soon became proficient on several instruments. At age fourteen, he
began playing backup for Jerry Lee Lewis in a Tulsa nightclub (he had to fib
about his age to land the job). A couple years later he moved to Los Angeles
where he continued his career as a session player for artists and producers
as varied as Glen Campbell, the Byrds, Herb Alpert, Phil Spector and Snuff
Garrett.

Leon's first major songwriting hit came in 1970 when legendary artist, Joe
Cocker recorded his song, "Delta Lady," and Leon became the organizer of
Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour. Also in 1970, Leon released a
self-titled solo album that included his haunting number, "A Song for You."
One fan who heard Leon's album was a young arranger named Richard Carpenter.
"A Song for You" became the title cut of the Carpenters 1972 recording --
one of the strongest albums of their star-studded career. Richard later
commented:
I heard this song on Leon Russell's debut album and thought immediately it
would be a good vehicle not only for Karen's lead, but for our overdubbed
"choral" sound as well.1
But how, you might wonder, did Richard Carpenter even know enough about Leon
Russell to seek out and listen to his debut album? The answer is that this
was not the first time the Carpenters had struck gold with a Leon Russell
song. Their self-titled third album released in 1971, had also included a
unique and mystical Russell masterpiece called "Superstar." Richard recalls:
Karen and I came home from the studio relatively early one evening in
early '71. She went to bed, but I tuned in The Tonight Show. The host,
Johnny Carson, was championing a then relatively unknown performer named
Bette Midler. One of the songs she sang was "Superstar." It was quite a bit
different than what my arrangement turned out to be, but I knew it could be
a hit. As the lyric never mentions the word "Superstar," I had to quiz a few
people about it to find out its name in order to get a lead sheet or
recording. It turned out that Leon Russell and Bonnie Blamlett had written
it for Rita Coolidge and the Joe Cocker Mad Dogs and Englishmen recording
and tour. The album was on A&M and I owned a copy of it, but never got
around to playing it. I opened the album, familiarized myself with the piece
and constructed my arrangement; a perfect song for Karen and the Carpenters'
sound.2
The rest -- as they say -- is history! The Carpenters' version of
"Superstar" went to #2 on the Billboard Charts and propelled the
brother-sister duo into Grammy history as Best Pop Vocal Group in 1971.
"Superstar" has since been covered by a plethora of artists including Luther
Vandross, Joe Cocker and Ruben Studdard. (It is, incidentally, one of the
only successful songs in history that does not contain the title anywhere in
the song!

The vulnerable lyrics and delicately crafted melodic structure of Leon's
songs make them an arranger's dream -- adaptable to any genre and timeless
in their musical and lyrical impact. Let's look at one more Russell
masterpiece・he song entitled, "This Masquerade" which also, by the way,
became a Carpenters hit in 1973. (Did Richard know a great songwriter when
he found one, or what?)

"This Masquerade" is another intricate tapestry of words, melody, harmony
and rhythm that has been recorded by artists of every genre. The Carpenters
were not the only ones to score with this song. George Benson won Record of
the Year at the 1976 Grammys with his version. Artists as varied as Vic
Damone, Robert Goulet, David Sanborn, Doc Severnsen -- and even Cybill
Shepherd -- have recorded their own renditions.

The musical depth and craftsmanship of "This Masquerade" is stunning! If you
visit a digital Internet download site like iTunes, you will even find
classical arrangements of this song. Music theorists have Internet
discussions about musicality employed by the composer. Like a ten-carat
diamond, it is exquisite from every facet.

If you are an aspiring songwriter who has never studied the work of Leon
Russell, you are definitely missing out! Take time to discover and examine
the panorama of styles and techniques in his amazing songs. Leon has set the
bar very high for all who come after him and his songs remind us why we
wanted to become songwriters in the first place.

Now in his sixties with a flowing mane of white hair, Leon still travels the
country with his incredible band. Check out his website at leonrussell.com
and make note of his tour schedule. If he comes within a hundred miles of
you, don't miss the chance to hear this genius musician live. His like will
not pass this way again.

.....

1Richard Carpenter / The Carpenters: The Essential Collection / A&M Records
/ Song Notes
2Richard Carpenter /
http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/Al...s.htm#SongNotes

**From her earliest childhood years writing simple songs and poems with her
father, through her twelve years as an overseas missionary, to her present,
multi-faceted career as an author, lyricist/songwriter and conference
speaker, Mary has always been adept at using words to communicate her heart
to others. She is the President of CQK Records & Music of Dallas, Texas, a
company which creates and produces songs in a panorama of musical styles for
a variety of audiences, She is the host of "I Write the Songs," a nationally
syndicated radio talk show, especially created to inspire and instruct the
more than 40 million aspiring songwriters in the U.S. Mary is a frequent
public speaker and seminar lecturer and teacher of songwriting in her
popular Living Room Seminars. She is a Contributing Editor for The Internet
Writing Journal R. You can visit her website at: www.cqkmusic.com. You can
reach Mary by email.

General Chat is very slow lately, isn't it? I cannot belive "John Bettis and...." thread is still on 1st page and there are only 5 new threds above them.

Interesting article Sakura, I noticed they mentioned how Superstar doesn't actually contain the word 'Superstar' in it. That's why people I know can never remember the song, they sing it to me and go 'what's that one called again?'