John W. "Johnny" Russell (June 4, 1909, Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

 - July 26, 1991, New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

) was an American jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 tenor saxophonist.

Russell was raised in New York, and began on violin at age nine, later picking up saxophone and clarinet. He played in both capacities with Jimmy Campbell

Jimmy Campbell

Jimmy Campbell may refer to:* Jimmy Campbell , Scottish footballer* Jimmy Campbell , English singer-songwriter* Jimmy Campbell , British songwriter and music publisher, known for his collaborations with Reg Connelly...

 in 1926, then worked at the Strand Danceland under Earle Howard

Earle Howard

Earle Howard was an American jazz guitarist, pianist, and vocalist.Howard was raised in New York City, attending the same high school as Fats Waller. Around the same time Howard played in a youth ensemble which featured Charlie Irvis, Benny Morton, and Benny Carter. He led his own seven-piece band...

. While he continued to play violin in live settings, no recordings of him as a violinist are known. After working in the early 1930s with Harry White

Harry White

Harry White may refer to:*Harry Dexter White , economist and U.S. Treasury official*Harry White , Australian Jockey*Harry White , US Congressman from Pennsylvania*Harry White...

, Russell replaced Chu Berry in Benny Carter

Benny Carter

Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...

's ensemble in 1933-34, then joined up with Willie Bryant

Willie Bryant

Willie Bryant was an American jazz bandleader, vocalist, and disc jockey.Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Bryant grew up in Chicago and took trumpet lessons to little success. His first job in entertainment was dancing in the Whitman Sisters Show in 1926...

 in 1935-36. He toured with Bobby Martin

Bobby Martin (musician)

Bobby Martin was an American jazz trumpeter.Martin played trumpet as a child with June Clark and Sonny Greer. He played with Sam Wooding from 1925, and played with him both in New York City and on his tours of Europe through 1931. From 1932 to 1936 Martin played abroad with Willie Lewis, and...

's orchestra in Europe in 1938, and played with this group on the soundtrack to the 1938 Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...

 film, L'alibi; it is for his solos in this recording that he is best known. Following this Russell remained in Europe to play with Willie Lewis

Willie Lewis

Willie Lewis is a rockabilly recording artist and founder of The Rock-A-Billy Record Company, a record label based in Denver, Colorado. He started the label in order to release rare and authentic rockabilly recordings, most of which were pressed on colored vinyl between 1982 and 1998...

 from 1939 to 1941. Upon his return to the U.S. he played with Garvin Bushell

Garvin Bushell

Garvin Bushell was an American woodwind multi-instrumentalist.Though never a major name in jazz, Bushell had a lengthy career from the music's early era, to the avant garde of the 1960s.-Biography:Bushell was born in Springfield, Ohio...

 briefly before being drafted

Conscription

Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...

. He played in military bands, including Russell Wooding's, during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, then played after the war with Cecil Scott

Cecil Scott

Cecil Scott was an American jazz clarinetist, tenor saxophonist, and bandleader....

 (1945) and Eddie Cornelius. Russell stopped playing full-time later in the 1940s, but occasionally did club dates later in his life.