Claudia Russell (born 1954) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Before becoming a solo artist, Russell performed with a number of Los Angeles bands, including The Life Is Grand Band, who recorded for
Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...
, and Maggie's Farm, who recorded for JRS Records and was distributed by
BMG BMG may refer to:
Organizations
* Music publishing companies:
** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008
*** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...
.
Early life
Russell was born to Gilbert Russell né
Val Rosing and Marilyn Pendry. Rosing was a well-known British
crooner
Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic ran ...
best known as the vocalist on the original
BBC recording of "
Teddy Bears' Picnic". Pendry was a dancer in TV shows, stage productions and
MGM feature films, including ''
White Christmas
White Christmas most commonly refers to:
* White Christmas (weather), snowfall or snow-covered ground on Christmas Day
* "White Christmas" (song), a 1942 song written by Irving Berlin
White Christmas may also refer to:
Film, television, and the ...
'' and ''
An American In Paris''. Russell's parents divorced in 1960.
Career
Russell has released five CDs: ''Song Food'' (2000), Ready To Receive (2004), ''Live Band Tonight,'' (2007), ''All Our Luck Is Changing'' (2013), and ''Lover's Tree'' (2018).
Russell is often encouraged by her husband/musical collaborator, Bruce Kaplan.
[
Russell tends to use a close knit group of musicians that includes percussionist Debra Dobkin, Dobro and guitar player Eric Lewis, keyboardist Carl Byron and her husband Bruce Kaplan on guitar and mandolin.
She is known to play often in the midwest and has a fondness for Door County, Wisconsin. Their music is served up with a generous helping of homespun humor and shaggy dog stories, making for a heartfelt and humorous experience of deeply engaging music.
]
Awards
Russell has twice been a finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk songwriting competition. Her debut CD, ''Song Food,'' earned her Best New Artist honors from Boston radio station WUMB in 2001.
References
External links
Claudia Russell official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Claudia
American women singer-songwriters
1954 births
Living people
21st-century American women