Graham Russell

Graham Cyril Russell(born 11 June 1950) is a British musician, singer-songwriter, producer and guitarist of thesoft rockduoAir Supply.

Graham Russell
Russell in 2013
Background information
Birth name	Graham Cyril Russell
Born	(1950-06-11)11 June 1950 Arnold, Nottinghamshire,England
Genres	Soft rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Arista,Giant,BMG,EMI

In 1975, withRussell Hitchcock,he formed Air Supply in Australia. The duo have been singing and performing romantic songs andballads,such as "Lost in Love","All Out of Love","Every Woman in the World","The One That You Love","Even the Nights Are Better","Goodbye"and"Making Love Out of Nothing at All",for more than 45 years.

Early life

Russell was born inArnold,Nottingham.He had a strong interest in poetry, music and books since his childhood. In 1961, at the age of 11, he started writing poems and composed his first song, called "That Rockin' Feeling".

Self-taught, he learned to play guitar and percussion alone and, after the loss of his mother in childhood, he became a loner and thereby found in music and poems a way to express his loss and his emotions.

He attended the Carlton-Le-Willows, a technical school inGedling,Nottingham, where his love for literature and the great English poets only grew further, fueled by study and also an interest that developed on the arts of the paranormal andoccult sciences,highlighted by the works of writersShelley,Keats,andLord Byron.

In 1963, the music ofthe Beatleswas a strong influence that marked his life that year, and after watching a live show in 1964,Russell decided that he wanted to be a musician. Russell joined a band called Union Blues in 1965, where he played percussion, but really wanted to play his own songs in front of the stage.

Career

In 1968, he moved to Australia and formed a second band in Melbourne, and began to also play solo in cafes and dance clubs, gaining ground on the Australian circuit.

In 1973, after reading spiritual and mystical content in search of knowledge and answers for several questions about life, Russell joined the rock operaJesus Christ Superstarin 1975 and metRussell Hitchcockon the first day and became instant friends. They would sing Beatles songs together during and after shows and this would eventually lead them to form the band Air Supply.

Russell performing inNapa, Californiain 2015 with Air Supply

After 18 months inJesus Christ Superstar,Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock formed the band under the name which Graham Russell had seen in a dream, a giant bright lights plate in which could be read "Air Supply". Their first single, "Love and Other Bruises",became a success. In 1976, after opening forRod Stewartin Australia and also in the United States in 1977, Air Supply went on tour and two more hit records ensued, "Lost in Love" and "All Out of Love".

In 1979,Clive Davisheard the song "Lost in Love", and the band signed to the label Arista Records. The first single on the Hot 100, "Lost in Love", reached the top 3 in May 1980, and Graham Russell's "The One That You Love" reached the top in July 1981.

Personal life

In 1967, Russell married a high school sweetheart, Linda, and had a son with her the following year, Simon.Russell and Linda also had a daughter, Samantha, born in March 1972. Russell's marriage to Linda ended in 1978.

In 1981, Russell met Jodi Varble at a show and, after two years in which they exchanged correspondence only, became a couple and married in 1986, when Varble was 21 and Russell was 36. She appears as his love interest in the first music video released for the single "Making Love Out of Nothing at All".

In 1983, Russell and Hitchcock moved to the US as members of Air Supply. Russell currently lives inPark City,Utah.

Discography

Main article:Air Supply discography

Solo

• The Future(2007)

Of Eden

• Feel(2013)
• Astral Love(2020)

G and the Jolly Cucumbers

• The Perfect Lover(2022)

References

• McFarlane, Ian(1999)."Whammo Homepage".Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop.St Leonards, NSW:Allen & Unwin.ISBN1-86508-072-1.Archived fromthe originalon 5 April 2004.Retrieved4 January2010.Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
• Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara; Paul McHenry (2002) [1987].The Who's Who of Australian Rock.Noble Park,Vic.: Five Mile Press.ISBN1-86503-891-1.Note: [on-line] version established atWhite Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltdin 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.