OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Jack Russell is looking forward not back. Having disbanded Great White after a farewell performance on New Year's Eve 2001, the singer has launched a solo career that will debut with an album whose only resemblance to those of his former band is Russell's emotional, powerful voice.
For You (Knight Records), set for release August 6 2002, features the Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum-selling, Top 10-charting Russell backed by an all-star cast: guitarist Bob Kulick (KISS, Meat Loaf, Lou Reed), guitarist/backing vocalist Billy Sherwood (Paul Rodgers' Grammy-nominated Muddy Waters Blues and Yes member), bassist Tony Levin (John Lennon, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd and King Crimson member), drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Frank Zappa, Stevie Nicks) and keyboardist Michael Sherwood (Air Supply). Billy Sherwood and Kulick produced, collaborating with Russell on the all-new songs.
"I'm not reinventing myself or escaping my roots or shaving my head," Russell says. This is just another part of me, more of the serious singer. This is the mellower, softer side of someone who isn't going to change the world but loves singing ballads and love songs. It's exciting, an adventure again, the next mountain to climb."
The death of his father John in early November 2001 prompted Russell to take on the new challenge. "His passing made me realize that it was time to lay to rest the two things I loved most in life. The album is dedicated to him. At the very start he was there for me hauling my equipment in a trailer behind his Corvette.
From the acoustic guitar opening of "Always" to the piano intro on the title track, For You announces a new direction, "pop but with fangs," says Kulick. Adds Billy Sherwood, "We threw caution to the wind: Jack never said, `No, we can't do that.' He wanted to wipe the slate clean, come out swinging and boldly go where no Jack Russell has gone before."
Where Russell had already been was leading one of the most respected hard rock bands of their era. He formed Great White in 1978 in his native Southern California with guitarist Mark Kendall. The band broke through in 1982 when it reached the top of the L.A. radio charts despite being unsigned. An acclaimed self-titled major label debut appeared the next year and the band toured Europe for the first time. "My attitude is that people don't go to a concert to get bummed out," says Russell. "They come to escape that. There is beauty in life; so many forget how great it is to be alive."
Constant touring and a handful of AOR hits, such as "Face The Day" from 1985's Shot In The Dark, propelled the band ahead. Then Great White exploded onto the pop charts. Once Bitten (1987) went Top 30 and platinum. Twice Shy (1989) reached the Top 10 and double platinum on the heels of the #5, gold-certified, Grammy-nominated "Once Bitten...Twice Shy" (one of the most recognizable songs and videos of the decade) and Top 30 "The Angel Song." A 1990 "MTV Unplugged" and a sell-out show at the L.A. Forum signaled the band's lofty status. Hooked (1991), went Top 20 and gold, and more Top 10 AOR hits followed throughout the decade, from 1994's "Sail Away" to 1999's "Rollin' Stoned."
"We did it. We lived the dream. When I was 17, Mark and I would practice giving interviews and there we were actually doing it. I'm just a lucky surfer, stoner guy from Whittier. We never took ourselves too seriously. We were a big backyard keg band and the parties just got bigger."
After years of successful recording and roadwork, the group celebrated an unusually amicable adios at a sold-out show in Santa Ana, CA, on New Year's Eve and the next day Russell began a new year and a new road. "There was a dead end," he says, "so I turned around and took a side street."
That's not to say he's sitting in with the Philharmonic or doing ragga, but rather is working with the likes of Sherwood, Kulick, Levin and Colaiuta. "Working with these musicians on For You took me out of the realm of the world I lived in. They added elements I would never have thought of, made the songs so much cooler than what was in my head."
When asked about recording with Jack Russell, Vinnie Colaiuta said "I do projects like this because of the quality of the music and the people I'm working with." Says Levin, "Hey, I dig what Jack's doing."
"All I want is for the people to decide," adds Russell. "There's nothing worse than a song you believe in and no one hears it. Music is the love of my life. I want people singing along to a song of mine or using my song at their wedding. I want to still be here when I'm no longer here."
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This bio came from Jacks old web site. I will work on getting something new up here for Jack, as well as the rest of the band. As for Jack wishing one of his songs be used in a wedding... look no further. This past may, my wife Carri and I used the title track from "For You" as our wedding song. Such a lovley song, and was a perfect first dance!