| Robin Russell | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, - USA |
| Genres | R&B, funk, rock, jazz, blues, Latin |
| Occupations | Drummer, composer, instructor |
| Years active | 1970-present |
| Associated acts | Little Richard, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Sylvester, Buddy Miles, Richard Berry, Danny Flores |
| Website | www.home.earthlink.net/~rrussell007/ |
| Notable instruments | |
| Drums, Tenor Saxophone | |
Robin Russell is an American drummer, songwriter, and recording artist from Los Angeles, California.
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As of September 1972, Russell is the original drummer with the rhythm and blues ensemble New Birth and their instrumental counterpart, the Nite-Liters.[1] Russell has performed with Little Richard including the performance at "The London Rock and Roll Show", Wembley Stadium, London, England, August 5, 1972.[2] Russell also performed with Johnny "Guitar" Watson,[3] disco era giant Sylvester, and has performed with a variety of artists in the Los Angeles area including Richard Berry (composer of "Louie Louie") and Danny Flores (composer of "Tequila"). Since the onset of digital recording technology in the 1980's, Russell's drums have been sampled by a number of Hip-Hop, Rap, and R&B artists including Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, The Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, De La Soul, Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, and more. In 2001 Russell contributed liner note comments for legendary jazz/fusion drummer Billy Cobham's Rudiments-Anthology CD, [4] and Russell was a featured artist in the June 2010 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.[5] Russell periodically joins New Birth for reunion shows.
During the early and mid 1970's Russell (with New Birth and the Nite-Liters) appeared on numerous syndicated television shows including American Bandstand, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, Soul Train, The Merv Griffin Show, Soul, and in 1975 Russell made a cameo appearance as a guest percussionist with Buddy Miles & the Earth Rockers in an episode of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.[6] Russell's performance with Little Richard at Wembley Stadium was filmed,[7] aired on television, included as part of a DVD released in 1973 as "The London Rock and Roll Show",[8] and released in 2001 as a CD of the same title.[9]
Russell's drumming can also be heard as a portion of the sound track for the 1973 action movie Gordon's War, starring Paul Winfield, where New Birth performed the song "Come On and Dream Some Paradise,"[10] and around 2006-07 a Jeep Compass commerical was aired on television using an altered sample of New Birth's "Got to Get a Knutt",[11] of which Russell is a co-writer.
With a deep appreication for the forests and other senic wonders of mother nature, Russell has developed a passion for drumming in the great outdoors, and will frequently set up in the mountains of Los Angeles, California's Griffith Park,[12] where he is known to hold sunrise-to-sunset solo drum sessions. Russell has also been a solo performer (aka "Drum Beats") at the Los Angeles Marathon since 2004,[13] typically drumming non-stop for hours as a source of inspiration and energy for race participants.
Robin Russell was born in and grew up in Los Angeles attending 59th Street Elementary School, Horace Mann Jr. High School, Washington Preparatory High School (freshmen year), graduated from Crenshaw High School, and attended Los Angeles City College.
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Pop Singles | U.S. Black Singles | ||
| 1973 | "I Can Understand It" | 35 | 4 |
| "Until It's Time for You to Go" | 97 | 21 | |
| 1974 | "I Wash My Hands of the Whole Damn Deal, Part I" | 88 | 46 |
| "It's Been a Long Time" | 66 | 9 | |
| "Wildflower" | 45 | 17 | |
| 1975 | "Comin' From All Ends" | - | 76 |
| "Dream Merchant" | 36 | 1 | |