Arthur Russell (musician)

Arthur Russell
Background information
Birth nameCharles Arthur Russell Jr.
Also known as
  • Loose Joints
  • Dinosaur
  • Dinosaur L
  • Indian Ocean
  • Killer Whale
  • Jigmé
  • In The Corn Belt[1]
Born(1951-05-21)May 21, 1951
Oskaloosa, Iowa, U.S.
DiedApril 4, 1992(1992-04-04) (aged 40)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Composer
  • producer[2]
  • singer
Instruments
  • Cello
  • keyboards
  • guitar
  • drums
  • programming
Years active1973–1992
Labels
Websiteaudikarecords.bandcamp.com

Charles Arthur Russell Jr. (May 21, 1951 – April 4, 1992)[2][3] was an American cellist, composer, producer, singer, and musician from Iowa, whose work spanned a disparate range of styles. After studying contemporary composition and Indian classical music in California, Russell relocated to New York City in the mid-1970s, where he became involved with both Lower Manhattan's avant-garde community and the city's burgeoning disco scene.[2] His eclectic music was often marked by adventurous production choices and his distinctive voice.[2]

Russell worked as musical director of the New York avant-garde venue the Kitchen in 1974 and 1975, but later embraced dance music, producing or co-producing several underground club hits under names such as Dinosaur L, Loose Joints, and Indian Ocean between 1978 and 1988. He co-founded the independent label Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov in 1981, and collaborated with a wide variety of artists, including musicians Peter Gordon, Peter Zummo, and Talking Heads, DJs such as Walter Gibbons, Nicky Siano, and Steve D'Aquisto; and poet Allen Ginsberg.[4][5][6][7]

The only full-length studio albums Russell issued under his name were the orchestral recording Tower of Meaning (1983) and vocal LP World of Echo (1986); he also released the disco LP 24→24 Music (1981) under his Dinosaur L alias. Over the last two decades of his life, he amassed a large collection of unreleased and unfinished recordings, in part due to his perfectionist working tendencies. He died from AIDS-related illnesses in 1992, still in relative obscurity and poverty.[2][8][9]

Russell's profile rose in the 21st century owing to a series of musical releases (including collections of previously unreleased material) and biographical works.[4][10][11] Several posthumous compilations of his music were released, including The World of Arthur Russell (2004) and Calling Out of Context (2004). The documentary Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell was released in 2008.

  1. ^ Lawrence, Tim. Hold onto your Dreams. Duke University Press.
  2. ^ a b c d e Richard Pierson. "Arthur Russell". AllMusic. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  3. ^ "Individual Record: Charles Arthur Russell, Jr". familysearch.org. Archived from the original on April 27, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Richards, Chris (January 19, 2005), "A Renaissance Man Revisited", The Washington Post, p. C.05, archived from the original on December 14, 2007, retrieved October 29, 2007
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference earplug was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Hear Vin Diesel's 1986 rap collaboration with Arthur Russell". Los Angeles Times. May 4, 2011.
  7. ^ "Reissued singles from Arthur Russell and Steve d'Acquisto's Loose Joints will make (Most of) your dreams come true".
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ratliff1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sun was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Macdonald, Cameron (December 15, 2004), "Arthur Russell: World of Echo", Pitchfork Media, archived from the original on January 9, 2008, retrieved October 29, 2007
  11. ^ "Arthur Russell: Cornfields & Disco". XLR8R. March 12, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2013.