Brady to Host Annual Russell Birthday Bash
BY John Wooley
Mar 31, 1994
1/16/13 at 2:19 AM
Native son Leon Russell returns to Tulsa and the Brady Theater
Saturday for his third annual Birthday Bash concert.
Also on the bill with Russell, known for such rock-era standards
as "A Song For You," "This Masquerade" and "Lady Blue,"
will be Sunpie Barnes & the Louisiana Sunspots and the Tulsa-based
Jungle Blue, featuring Leon's son, Teddy Jack Bridges, as
a guest performer.
Tickets to the 8 p.m.show are $22 and $17 at the Brady Theater
box office, 105 W. Brady St.
Although Russell himself was characteristically tight-lipped
when it came to interviews with local media, Steve Todoroff,
the Houston-based promoter of the Birthday Bash shows, filled
in several details on the concert and Russell's activities
in the past year.
"He's been working a few sessions lately," said Todoroff.
"He and Bruce Hornsby played on a Bela Fleck session a
couple of weeks ago, and he also played on Keith Richard's
solo LP. He did three days with George Jones, too. He was
hired as a session man, but the last day of the session,
George said, `I want to sing one with Leon.' So they did
`Window Up Above' together.
"He's also been working on a lot of his own projects. There
may be a blues album coming."
Sunpie Barnes, Todoroff noted, has opened for Russell on
several other occasions, including a recent show at Dan
Aykroyd's House of Blues in New Orleans.
"It's a six-piece Cajun band that Leon saw and really liked,"
said Todoroff.
The members of Jungle Blue include singer-songwriter Matt
Harris, Russell's brother-in-law.
"Teddy Jack (Bridges) will be sitting in playing guitar,"
Todoroff said. "They're going to play a lot of Leon's songs
that he just doesn't play anymore."
Bridges will also play percussion in his father's portion
of the show. The two will be joined by bassist-vocalist
Jack Wessell, who played with Russell at last year's event.
Russell will be 52 the day of the show.
