Asylum Choir – "Straight Brother" (1971)

Half your life is gone but you don’t worry

They’re killing you but you don’t even care

They play you just like a game of checkers

(“Half your life is gone”?  You’re very lucky.)

The late Leon Russell was a songwriter, keyboard player, singer, arranger . . . you name it, he could do it.

Leon Russell’s high-school
yearbook photo

Russell left his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma and moved to Los Angeles when he was 17.  As a member of the famous group of studio musicians known as the “Wrecking Crew,” he played on records by Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, The Everly Brothers, Del Shannon, Duane Eddy, Bobby Vee, Bobby Darin, Jan & Dean, Bobby “Boris” Pickett (“Monster Mash”), Gary Lewis & the Playboys, George Harrison, Dean Martin, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Gram Parsons, the Beach Boys, Ringo Starr, Doris Day, Elton John, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, the Byrds, Barbra Streisand, the Ventures, Willie Nelson, Badfinger, Harry Nilsson, Frank Sinatra, the Band, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Dave Mason, Glen Campbell, Joe Cocker, the Rolling Stones . . . and many, many others.

In 1968, Russell formed Asylum Choir with Marc Benno.  The duo released two albums, which almost no one bought.  I listened to those albums a lot when I was in college – then sort of forgot about them for a few decades.

Click here to listen to “Straight Brother,” from the Asylum Choir II album.

Click here to buy “Straight Brother” from Amazon.