Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

with many popular artists, including

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

Harry Chapin Harry Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy Award- ...

, Rita Coolidge,

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Cass Elliot, was an American singer. She was also known as "Mama Cass", a name she reportedly disliked. Elliot was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the P ...

, Dan Fogelberg, Glenn Frey,

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainte ...

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

, Lyle Lovett,

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (sometimes abbreviated NGDB), also known as the Dirt Band, is an American band founded in Long Beach, California, in 1966. Since 2018, the band has consisted of Jeff Hanna and his son Jaime Hanna, both guitarists and voc ...

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

, Stephen Stills,

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his dis ...

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

, and

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer and songwriter. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All t ...

. He was the studio and touring drummer for Crosby & Nash in the 1970s and played on all four of their studio albums.

Early life and education

Kunkel was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

and moved to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

in when he was 9. There, he was part of an orchestra at the local

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

. Prior to moving, he was influenced by his brother and the song " Wipe Out" to play drums. He played for approximately six different bands, including the Barons, and appeared at many sock hops and high school dances, playing surf music and Beatles songs. In his last two years of high school he was a jazz drummer and later worked for John Stewart and

the Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...

. Kunkel is a 1966 graduate of

Long Beach Polytechnic High School Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a four-year public high school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States. The school serves portions of Long Beach, including Bixby ...

in Long Beach.

Career

In 1966, Kunkel moved to Los Angeles. He joined the band ''Things to Come'' and during the summer of 1968, they performed, for 19 weeks as the opening band, at the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...

, a club on Sunset Strip in Hollywood, while under the alcohol drinking age in California. Kunkel worked for

and together they released a

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

to the movie '' Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid''. In 1970 Kunkel helped Bob Dylan and drummer

Billy Mundi Billy Mundi (born Antonio Salas; September 25, 1942 in San Francisco – March 29, 2014) was an American drummer best known as a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band The Mothers of Invention, as well as the band Rhinoceros. He also ...

release an album titled '' New Morning''. Kunkel was a part of

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

's group, playing with

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

, and meeting

Bill Szymczyk William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and recording engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the ...

, Leon Russell, and

. He recorded "Hummingbird" for King's album '' Indianola Mississippi Seeds''. Kunkel's first single was a demo with Joel Sill for Trousdale Music, which included musicians Joe Osborn and

Larry Knechtel Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles–based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Sim ...

. In early 1970s, while rehearsing for the upcoming tour, he met Chris Darrow, a former player of John Stewart's, who was a friend of Peter Asher. In 1970, Kunkel through his connection with producer Peter Asher, rehearsed " Fire and Rain" and suggested he use

brushes A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during u ...

instead of sticks to provide the backing beat to the song. Back in the studio, he asked whether he should use the brushes, to record and Asher said, "do it like we rehearsed". He then helped James Taylor to record the rest of the '' Sweet Baby James'' album. Kunkel played on Tony Kosinec's "Bad Girl Songs," which was produced by Peter Asher. In 1971 Kunkel worked with

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...

, Gary Hart, and

on the ''

Tapestry Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...

'' album, which became a classic. From 1971 to 1972 Kunkel worked with

on her albums ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

'' and '' For the Roses''. Along with his bandmates in the Section, he appeared on the first album by Crosby & Nash, and would continue working with the duo through the decade. From 1972 to 1973, he played in the attic of

's house at

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

where he recorded parts of the '' One Man Dog'' album. In 1972 Kunkel helped Willis Alan Ramsey to release the album, '' Willis Alan Ramsey'', which was issued under Shelter Records label. In 1972, Kunkel with

and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

ist

Leland Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. He rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coalesced into a group in its own right, The Section, which supported so many of Asylu ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

ist Danny Kortchmar from The Flying Machine, and

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instru ...

Craig Doerge formed a band called The Section. The group existed between 1972 and 1977, during which time they had recorded three albums. A few years later however, the band got smaller because Sklar preferred to work in the studio, and Doerge had joined another band. In 1975, Kunkel played on the

song "

Waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

" and played a part in James Taylor's album ''

Gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...

'' in a song " How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)". In 1977 during the recording of

's '' Running on Empty'' album, Kunkel played on

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

and North Drum sets, and went on a tour to promote the album. During the same year, Kunkel played hi-hat on the

Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) was a folk rock supergroup comprising the American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and the English-American singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by the Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Youn ...

album '' CSN''. A year later, he worked with

on '' Excitable Boy'' as part of the Section. In 1980, during his tour with

to promote his album '' Hold Out'', he played a tom, a floor tom, a

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

, a

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

, and two

cymbals A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

. During those years, he also was a drummer for the '' Lawyers In Love'' album where he played in a song "Say It Isn't True". On the 1980s album '' Mad Love'' by

, Kunkel (along with Waddy Wachtel and Danny Kortchmar) performed in the songs " How Do I Make You" and "Mad Love". In 1981, Kunkel joined

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

to create the '' Bella Donna'' album, playing on seven out of ten tracks. The same year, Kunkel worked for

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

and performed on three of their songs: "Wildflower", "Cryin' Every Day", and "Be Who You Are", for the album '' Living Eyes''. In 1982, Kunkel, along with Kenny Passarelli, worked with Dan Fogelberg on a song "Tell Me to My Face". In 1983 he helped

and Danny Kortchmar to write a song called " Tender Is the Night" and during that time met with Alan White of

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

. In 1990s he was invited by Joe Walsh to perform the song "I Keep Forgettin'", where he overdubbed with Linn drums. In 1980, Kunkel played in Linda Ronstadt's band for a concert that was shown on HBO, along with the guitarists Kenny Edwards and Danny Kortchmar, bassist

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

, keyboardist Bill Payne, pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, and backing vocalist

Wendy Waldman Wendy Waldman (born Wendy Steiner on November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Early life Waldman grew up in the Los Angeles area and was raised in a musical environment. Her father Fred Steiner was a ...

. Thirty-nine years later, an album of the concert, '' Live in Hollywood'', was produced by Peter Asher and released in CD and

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

formats by

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company (formerly Rhino Records Inc.) is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded ...

. Kunkel had a cameo as doomed drummer Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs in the 1984 film '' This Is Spinal Tap''. Before the cameo appearance, he practiced it with Judith Owen and her husband Harry Shearer in

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...

. In 1991, after his appearance in the 1984 rockumentary, Kunkel joined Spinal Tap. The same year, he appeared in

's '' The Fire Inside'' where he played with former E Streeter Roy Bittan. In 2004, Kunkel reunited with Crosby & Nash for their eponymous album, acting as both drummer and co-producer. In 2010 Kunkel joined the

Troubadour Reunion Tour The Troubadour Reunion Tour was a 2010 international concert tour by Carole King and James Taylor. It celebrated the 40th anniversary of their first performance together at The Troubadour (Los Angeles), The Troubadour in November 1970, and was a ...

supporting

and

. In 2014, Judith Owen, along with her husband and musician Harry Shearer had issued an ''Ebb & Flow'' album where Kunkel, Sklar, and Wachtel performed on songs such as

Mungo Jerry Mungo Jerry (formerly known as Mungo Jerry Blues Band) are a British rock band formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex, in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing line-up always fronted by Dorset, the ...

's "In the Summertime",

's "Hey Mister", "I've Never Been To Texas", and "I Would Give Anything". Owen invited him to rehearse for the 2016 album of hers called ''Somebody's Child''. In 2018, Kunkel played on "Small Change", a song written by Harry Shearer. The song featured the Hungarian Studio Orchestra, Judith Owen and Danny Kortchmar and was issued in an album called ''Smalls Change'' by Twanky Records/ BMG on April 13. He started his own company called Chateau Beach Entertainment in 2019 on which he recorded an album called ''Rivage''. Kunkel, Kortchmar, Sklar and Wachtel, along with guitarist Steve Postell, reunited to form a new band, The Immediate Family, which released its debut album ''Honey Don't Leave L.A.'' in May 2018 from Japanese Vivid Sound label. A live CD ''Live In Japan 2018'' followed in December of that year. The band's U.S. debut single, "Cruel Twist," was released in June 2020. in the first scene. In 2023, Russ Kunkel was recorded playing the

Bongo drum Bongos ( Spanish: ''bongó'') are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger ''hembra'' () and the smaller ''macho'' (), which are joined by a wo ...

s on Playing for Change performance for Doctor My Eyes behind

Equipment

Kunkel is a self taught drummer and has a studio at his home, where he plays all kinds of instruments including keyboard,

s, various

tom drum A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, thoug ...

s, and Zildjian and

Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Switzerland, Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian language, Estonian and Finnish language, ...

. He endorses DW drums, Evans drumheads, and Pro-Mark sticks. He has previously used

Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures and markets musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Fri ...

, Sonor, Yamaha,

and

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

drums, as well as

Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and drum hardware, hardware, and various percussio ...

drumheads, prior to switching to Evans in 1983. Other than drumming, he is credited with playing

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...

, shaker,

cabasa The cabasa, similar to the shekere, is a percussion instrument that is constructed with loops of steel ball chain wrapped around a wooden cylinder. The cylinder is fixed to a long, wooden or plastic handle. The metal cabasa was created by Mar ...

, congas, timbales, castanets, wood block,

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock music, rock, popular music, pop, jazz, an ...

s, cardboard box, cowbell,

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

bongos Bongos (Spanish language, Spanish: ''bongó'') are an Afro-Cubans, Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger ''hembra'' () and the smaller ''macho'' ...

, bells,

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

, cajon and percussion.

Personal life

In 1968, Kunkel married Leah Kunkel, née Leah Cohen, who was the younger sister of

of The Mamas & The Papas. Their son Nathaniel, now a Grammy and Emmy-winning recording engineer and producer, was born in 1970. When Cass Elliot died in 1974, Russ and Leah Kunkel took in her daughter and raised her. In 1990, Kunkel married singer Nicolette Larson, and that same year their daughter was born. Kunkel and Larson were married until her death in 1997. In 2014 he married Shauna Drayson Hayward.

Partial discography

Musician

*Herb Alpert – ''Just You and Me'' (1976) *Barbi Benton – ''Something New'' (1975) *Stephen Bishop (musician), Stephen Bishop: **''Careless (album), Careless'' (1976) **''Bish (album), Bish'' (1978) **''Red Cab to Manhattan'' (1980) *Ronee Blakley – ''Ronee Blakley'' (1972) *Karla Bonoff: **''Karla Bonoff (album), Karla Bonoff'' (1977) **''Restless Nights (Karla Bonoff album), Restless Nights'' (1979) **''Wild Heart of the Young'' (1982) *Terence Boylan: **''Terence Boylan'' (1977) **''Suzy'' (1980) *Bread (band), Bread – ''Retrospective'' (1996) *Brewer & Shipley – ''Brewer & Shipley'' (1974) *Sarah Brightman – ''As I Came of Age'' (1998) *

: **''Jackson Browne (album), Jackson Browne'' (1972) **''For Everyman'' (1973) **''The Pretender (album), The Pretender'' (1976) **Running on Empty (album) (1977) **''Lives in the Balance'' (1986) **''World in Motion (album), World in Motion'' (1989) *

: **''Volcano (Jimmy Buffett album), Volcano'' (1979) **''One Particular Harbour'' (1983) **''Hot Water (album), Hot Water'' (1988) **''Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads'' (1992) *J. J. Cale – ''Shades (J.J. Cale album), Shades'' (1981) *Eric Carmen – ''Change of Heart'' (1978) *Cecilio & Kapono – ''Cecilio and Kapono'' (1988) *

: **''Heads & Tales (album), Heads & Tales'' (1972) **''Sniper and Other Love Songs'' (1972) *Beth Nielsen Chapman: **''Beth Nielsen Chapman (album), Beth Nielsen Chapman'' (1990) **''You Hold the Key'' (1993) *Tracy Chapman: **''Crossroads (Tracy Chapman album), Crossroads'' (1989) **''Collection (Tracy Chapman greatest hits album), Collection'' (2001) *The Church (band): **''Starfish (album), Starfish'' (drums (uncredited) on Under the Milky Way) (1988) *Clannad (musical group), Clannad: **''Sirius (Clannad album), Sirius'' (1987) **''Pastpresent, Past Present'' (1989) **''A Magical Gathering: The Clannad Anthology'' (2002) * Rita Coolidge: **''Fall into Spring'' (1974) **''Heartbreak Radio'' (1981) *Dana Cooper – ''Dana Cooper'' (1973) *Beverley Craven – ''Love Scenes (Beverley Craven album), Love Scenes'' (1993) *David Crosby: **''Oh Yes I Can'' (1989) **''Thousand Roads'' (1993) * Crosby & Nash: **''Graham Nash David Crosby'' (1972) **''Wind on the Water'' (1975) **''Whistling Down the Wire'' (1976) **''Crosby-Nash Live'' (1977) **''Crosby & Nash (album), Crosby & Nash'' (2004) *Crosby, Stills & Nash: **''Daylight Again'' (1982) *Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: ** ''CSNY 1974'' (2014) *Rodney Crowell – ''Diamonds & Dirt'' (1989) *Aselin Debison – ''Sweet Is the Melody'' (2002) *Jackie DeShannon – ''To Be Free'' (1970) *

: **''Beautiful Noise'' (1976) **''Christmas Album'' (1992) **''Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building'' (1993) **''In My Lifetime'' (1996) **''Classics: The Early Years/Jazz Singer/Beautiful Noise'' (1997) **''Three Chord Opera'' (2001) *Denny Doherty – ''Watcha' Gonna Do?'' (1971) *

: **''Dylan (1973 album), Dylan'' (1973) **''Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (album), Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid'' (1973) **''Masterpieces (Bob Dylan album), Masterpieces'' (1978) *Yvonne Elliman – ''Night Flight'' (1978) *England Dan & John Ford Coley – ''Fables'' (1971) *The Everly Brothers – ''Stories We Could Tell'' (1972) *Don Felder – ''Airborne'' (1983) * Dan Fogelberg: **''Souvenirs (Dan Fogelberg album), Souvenirs'' (1974) **''Captured Angel'' (1975) **''Nether Lands'' (1977) **''Phoenix (Dan Fogelberg album), Phoenix'' (1979) **''The Innocent Age'' (1981) **''Windows and Walls'' (1984) **''High Country Snows'' (1985) **''Exiles (Dan Fogelberg album), Exiles'' (1987) **''The Wild Places (Dan Fogelberg album), The Wild Places'' (1990) **''River of Souls'' (1993) * Glenn Frey – ''Soul Searchin' (Glenn Frey album), Soul Searchin''' (1988) *Richie Furay – ''I Still Have Dreams'' (1979) *

: **''Breakaway'' (1975) **''Scissors Cut'' (1981) **''Songs from a Parent to a Child'' (1997) *David Gates: **''First (David Gates album), First'' (1973) **''Goodbye Girl (David Gates album), Goodbye Girl'' (1978) **''Falling in Love Again (David Gates album), Falling in Love Again'' (1980) *Deborah Gibson, Debbie Gibson – ''Think with Your Heart, Think With Your Heart'' (1995) *Louise Goffin – ''Kid Blue'' (1979) *Andrew Gold: **''What's Wrong with This Picture? (Andrew Gold album), What's Wrong With This Picture'' (1976) **''All This and Heaven Too (album), All This and Heaven Too'' (1978) *Jimmy Griffin – ''Breakin' Up Is Easy'' (1973) *Nanci Griffith – ''Lone Star State of Mind'' (1987) *Arlo Guthrie: **''Amigo (Arlo Guthrie album), Amigo'' (1976) **''Power of Love'' (1982) *Emmylou Harris: **''The Ballad of Sally Rose'' (1985) **''Portraits'' (1996) *Don Henley – ''I Can't Stand Still'' (1982) *Bill Hughes (musician), Bill Hughes – ''Dream Master (album), Dream Master'' (1979) *Brian Hyland – ''Brian Hyland'' (1970) *Elton John and Tim Rice – ''Aida (musical), Aida'' (1999) *Tom Jones (singer), Tom Jones – ''Lead and How to Swing It'' (1994) *Casey Kelly (songwriter), Casey Kelly – ''Casey Kelly'' (1972) *

: **''Best of B.B. King'' (1973) **''King of the Blues'' (1992) **''Greatest Hits'' (1998) **''Anthology'' (2000) **''B.B. King & Friends: 80, 80'' (2005) **''Ultimate Collection'' (2005) *

: **''Music (Carole King album), Music'' (1971) **''

'' (1971) **''Thoroughbred (Carole King album), Thoroughbred'' (1976) **''Speeding Time'' (1983) **''Love Makes the World'' (2001) *Tony Kosinec – ''Bad Girl Songs'' (1970) *Leah Kunkel – ''Leah Kunkel'' (1979) * Lyle Lovett: ** ''Joshua Judges Ruth'' (1992) **''I Love Everybody'' (1994) **''The Road to Ensenada'' (1996) **''Step Inside This House'' (1998) **''My Baby Don't Tolerate'' (2003) **''Smile (Lyle Lovett album), Smile'' (2003) **''It's Not Big It's Large'' (2007) *Dave Mason and

- ''Dave Mason & Cass Elliot'' (1971) *Kate Markowitz – ''Map of the World'' (2003) *Richard Marx – ''Paid Vacation'' (1994) *

: **''Last One to Know'' (1987) **''Reba (album), Reba'' (1988) **''Sweet Sixteen (Reba McEntire album), Sweet Sixteen'' (1989) *Kate & Anna McGarrigle – ''Kate & Anna McGarrigle (album), Kate & Anna McGarrigle'' (1975) *Pat McGee Band, Pat McGee - ''Pat McGee'' (2015) *Roger McGuinn: **''Peace on You'' (1974) **''Born to Rock and Roll'' (1992) **''Roger McGuinn/Peace on You'' (2004) *Bette Midler – ''Broken Blossom'' (1977) *

: **''

'' (1971) **'' For the Roses'' (1972) *Maria Muldaur – ''Sweet Harmony (album), Sweet Harmony/Open Your Eyes'' (2003) *Anne Murray – ''Anne Murray (album), Anne Murray'' (1996) *Graham Nash: **''Earth & Sky (album), Earth & Sky'' (1980) **''Songs for Survivors'' (2002) *Aaron Neville: **''Warm Your Heart'' (1991) **''Ultimate Collection'' (2001) *

: **''The Wild Heart (album), The Wild Heart'' (1983) **''Rock a Little'' (1985) *The

: **''Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy'' (1970) **''Stars & Stripes Forever (album), Stars & Stripes Forever'' (1974) **''Dirt, Silver and Gold'' (1976) *Dolly Parton – ''Heartbreak Express'' (1982) *Shawn Phillips: **''Bright White'' (1973) **''Spaced'' (1977) *Bonnie Raitt – ''Nine Lives (Bonnie Raitt album), Nine Lives'' (1986) * Willis Alan Ramsey – '' Willis Alan Ramsey'' (1972) *Helen Reddy – ''Helen Reddy (album), Helen Reddy'' (1971) *

: **''Don't Cry Now'' (1973) **''Heart Like a Wheel'' (1974) **''Prisoner in Disguise'' (1975) **''Hasten Down the Wind'' (1976) **''Living in the U.S.A.'' (1978) **'' Mad Love'' (1980) **''Get Closer (Linda Ronstadt album), Get Closer'' (1982) **''Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind'' (1989) **''Winter Light (Linda Ronstadt album), Winter Light'' (1994) **''Feels Like Home (Linda Ronstadt album), Feels Like Home'' (1995) **''We Ran'' (1998) **''Mi Jardin Azul: Las Canciones Favoritas'' (2004) *Diana Ross – ''Force Behind the Power'' (1991) *Jennifer Rush – ''Heart over Mind (Jennifer Rush album), Heart Over Mind'' (1987) *Shawna Russell - ''Goddess'' (2007) *Carole Bayer Sager: **''Carole Bayer Sager'' (1977) **''Too'' (1978) *Sanne Salomonsen: **''Where Blue Begins'' (1991) **''Sannes Bästa, Vol. 2'' (2000) *Leo Sayer – ''Leo Sayer (album), Leo Sayer'' (1978) *Seals and Crofts: **''Summer Breeze (Seals and Crofts album), Summer Breeze'' (1972) **''Year of Sunday'' (1972) *Neil Sedaka: **''Sedaka's Back'' (1975) **''Steppin' Out (Neil Sedaka album), Steppin' Out'' (1976) **''In the Pocket (Neil Sedaka album), In the Pocket'' (1980) *Bob Seger, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band: **''The Distance (Bob Seger album), The Distance'' (1982) **''Like a Rock'' (1986) **'' The Fire Inside'' (1991) **''It's a Mystery'' (1995) **''Greatest Hits 2 (Bob Seger album), Greatest Hits 2'' (2003) *Feargal Sharkey – ''Wish (Feargal Sharkey album), Wish'' (1988) *

: **''Hotcakes (Carly Simon), Hotcakes'' (1974) **''Playing Possum'' (1975) **''Spoiled Girl'' (1985) **''Coming Around Again (Carly Simon), Coming Around Again'' (1987) **''This Is My Life (Carly Simon album), This Is My Life'' (1992) **''Anthology (Carly Simon), Anthology'' (2002) **''Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits'' (2004) *JD Souther – ''Black Rose (JD Souther album), Black Rose'' (1976) *Jimmie Spheeris – ''Original Tap Dancing Kid'' (1973) *Rick Springfield – ''Mission Magic'' (1974) *Stealin Horses – ''Stealin Horses'' (1985) *Al Stewart: **''24 Carrots'' (1980) **''Just Yesterday'' (2005) *John Stewart (folk musician), John Stewart: **''Willard (album), Willard'' (1970) **''The Lonesome Picker Rides Again'' (1971) **''Sunstorm (John Stewart album), Sunstorm'' (1971) **''Wingless Angels'' (1975) **''Bombs Away Dream Babies'' (1979) **''Dream Babies Go Hollywood'' (1980) * Stephen Stills: **''Live'' (1975) **''Stills (Stephen Stills album), Stills'' (1975) **''Turnin' Back the Pages'' (2003) **''Man Alive'' (2005) *Barbra Streisand – ''Emotion (Barbra Streisand album), Emotion'' (1984) * Talbot Bros.– ''Talbot Bros.'' (1974) *Mariya Takeuchi – '':ja:UNIVERSITY STREET, UNIVERSITY STREET'' (1979) *

: **'' Sweet Baby James'' (1970) **''Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon'' (1971) **'' One Man Dog'' (1972) **''

'' (1975) **''Greatest Hits (James Taylor album), Greatest Hits'' (1976) **''In the Pocket (James Taylor album), In the Pocket'' (1976) **''JT (James Taylor album), JT'' (1977) **''Flag (James Taylor album), Flag'' (1979) *Kate Taylor – ''Sister Kate (album), Sister Kate'' (1971) *Livingston Taylor – ''Man's Best Friend (Livingston Taylor album), Man's Best Friend'' (1980) *Uncle Kracker: **''No Stranger to Shame'' (2002) **''Seventy Two and Sunny'' (2004) *Anna Vissi – ''Everything I Am (album), Everything I Am'' (2001) *

: **''So What (Joe Walsh album), So What'' (1975) **''There Goes the Neighborhood (album), There Goes the Neighborhood'' (1981) *

– ''Love Has Got Me'' (1973) *Jamie Walters: **''Jamie Walters (album), Jamie Walters'' (1994) **''Ride (Jamie Walters album), Ride'' (1997) *Jennifer Warnes – ''Jennifer Warnes (album), Jennifer Warnes'' (1977) *Was (Not Was) – ''What Up, Dog?'' (1988) *Jimmy Webb – ''Suspending Disbelief'' (1993) *Paul Williams (songwriter), Paul Williams: **''Life Goes On (Paul Williams album), Life Goes On'' (1972) **''Just an Old Fashioned Love Song'' (1971) *Carnie Wilson, Carnie and Wendy Wilson – ''Hey Santa!'' (1993) *Wilson Phillips – ''California (Wilson Phillips album), California'' (2004) *

– ''Refugees of the Heart'' (1990) *

: **''Menagerie (album), Menagerie'' (1977) **'''Bout Love'' (1979) *

– ''Comes a Time'' (1978) *Neil Young & Crazy Horse (band), Crazy Horse – ''Zuma (Neil Young & Crazy Horse album), Zuma'' (1975) *

: **'' Excitable Boy'' (1978) **''The Envoy (Warren Zevon album), The Envoy'' (1982) **''I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology)'' (1996) **''Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon'' (2002)

Soundtracks

*''Arachnophobia (film), Arachnophobia'' (1990) *''Catwalk (Canadian TV series), Catwalk'' (1994) *''Certain Fury'' (1985) *''Clockstoppers'' (2002) *''Coast to Coast (1980 film), Coast to Coast'' (1977) *''Dr. T & the Women'' (2000) *''Moment by Moment#Soundtrack, Moment by Moment'' (1978) *''Road House (1989 film), Roadhouse'' (1989) *''Straight Talk'' (1992) *''The Warriors (film), Warriors'' (1979) *''RV (film), RV'' (2006)

Producer

: **''Fruitcakes'' (1994) **''Barometer Soup'' (1995) **''Banana Wind'' (1996) **''Christmas Island (Jimmy Buffett album), Christmas Island'' (1996) **''Beach House on the Moon'' (1999) **''Meet Me In Margaritaville: The Ultimate Collection'' (2003) *Clannad: **''Rogha: The Best of Clannad'' (1997) **''Ultimate Collection'' (1997) **''Greatest Hits'' (2000) **''Best of Clannad: In a Lifetime'' (2004) *Derek Trucks, The Derek Trucks Band —''Joyful Noise'' (2002) * Dan Fogelberg - ''Love Songs (Dan Fogelberg), Love Songs'' (1995) *Aaron Neville - ''20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The'' (2002) *

: **''Clouds In My Coffee'' (1995) **''The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better'' (1998) **"Coming Around Again (Carly Simon song), Coming Around Again" (1987) **"Spoiled Girl" (1985) *Jane Wiedlin: **''Jane Wiedlin (album), Jane Wiedlin'' (1985) **''Very Best of Jane Wiedlin'' (1993)

Other

*Nicolette Larson - ''Very Best of Nicolette Larson'' (1999) (Liner notes)

References

External links

Russ Kunkel Interview
at NAMM Oral History Program, NAMM Oral Histories (2008)
Mix+2002 (pdf)Keeping the Beat - Russ Kunkel: a Rock & Roll Story , Celebrating Life in San ClementeModern Drummer : Russ Kunkel cover (pdf)
*
The Immediate Family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunkel, Russ 1948 births Living people American session musicians Drummers from Pittsburgh Drummers from Los Angeles American rock drummers American country drummers Conga players Timbaleros Bongo players Castanets players Snare drummers American tambourine players American marimbists Carly Simon 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Coral Reefer Band members