Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Leon Russell - The Vine Street Theatre Presents Homewood Session Dec. 5th 1970

 


Leon Russell – Homewood Session Live Hollywood 70

01 – Will The Circle Be Unbroken
02 – Caravan
03 – It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
04 – Delta Lady
05 – A Song For You
06 – Good Morning Judge
07 – John Henry
08 – Furry’s Blues
09 – Amos Burke
10 – Honky Tonk Women
11 – Sweet Emily
12 – Prince Of Peace
13 – Girl From The North Country
14 – Big Boss Man
15 – Crystal Closet Queen 
16 – Of Thee I Sing

THE CLASSIC 1970 TV SPECIAL THAT MADE A STAR OF LEON RUSSELL. Born in Lawton, Oklahoma in 1942, Leon Russell began playing piano at the age of four. He attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma and by age 16 was already performing at Tulsa nightclubs. After moving to Los Angeles, he became a session musician, working as a pianist on the recordings of many notable musical artists from the 1960s. By the late 1960s, Russell diversified, becoming successful as an arranger and songwriter. As a musician, he worked his way up from gigs as a sideman to working with well-known performers. By 1970, he had graduated to a solo recording artist, although he never ended his previous roles within the music industry. After performing country music under the name Hank Wilson in the 1970s and 1980s, Russell had largely faded into obscurity. He re-emerged in 2010 when Elton John called on him to record an album that became The Union. The album brought renewed popularity to Russell who has since released a solo album and toured around the world. In December 1970 'Leon Russell and friends' recorded the 'Homewood Sessions' at the Vine Street Theatre in Hollywood, broadcast as an 'unscripted and unrehearsed' one-hour TV special on KCET TV (Los Angeles) and later re-broadcast several times on the Public Broadcasting System. The Vine Street Theatre had a little studio in the back part of the building where the recording was made. They actually shot six hours but only broadcast one. Claimed to be the first national broadcast of a stereo rock and roll performance, this would have required an FM simulcast, since American television was not stereo in 1970s. An extended line-up features, including: Don Nix, Claudia Linnear, Kathi McDonald, Chuck Blackwell, Jim Horn, John Gallie, Furry Lewis, Don Preston, Joey Cooper, Carl Radle and Emily - Furry Lewis is the same Furry that Joni Mitchell later wrote a song about (Furry Sings The Blues).


                                            https://workupload.com/file/GymQ4UvGZC3

11 comments:

  1. Please someone, bring those other 5 hours to the surface.....

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  2. Thank you. Leon was a massive talent!

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  3. wow! This is amazing, the word GEM is over used, but not in this case! Stunning share and I thank you!

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  4. Wow - this looks fantastic. Many thanks.

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  5. have tried 6 times over 2 days and link won't work for me. am i doing something wrong?

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  6. Leon and the Shelter People were really hitting their stride when these sessions were recorded, a precursor to the wild circus that became Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Thanks for sharing this!

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  7. try copying the link and pasting in your taskbar to take you directly to the DL link.

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    1. all 6 times i did a copy and paste. it takes me to the link, but when i click download, it waits about 5 seconds then goes to a page that says "Hmmmm...can't reach this page". just tried today(3rd day-7th time) and takes me to same page. i have downloaded several shows previously and have never had an issue. love your site and shows...regards

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    2. well...just tried one last time right after i just sent comment and it worked perfectly! thanks

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  8. Webmaster - Any objection to my posting the fantastic PBS video of this LP?

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