“I had a band with David Gates. There was just a lot of opportunity at that time. But I left for Los Angeles the week after I graduated high school, and I actually left to try to get into the advertising business. That was really why I went out to L.A. My music career was almost an accident.”

American musician and songwriter

Leon Russell was an American musician and songwriter whose career stretched across six decades. Born in 1942 and active in a wide range of popular styles, he was known for work tied to many bestselling records and for his influence on the Tulsa sound. His recording career brought him six gold records and two Grammy Awards from seven nominations. In 1973, Billboard named him the "Top Concert Attraction in the World". He was later inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.