Aww…some Monday’s Music Moves Me

This past week the temperatures have dropped into the teens and we have had two dustings of snow. Last Friday morning the temperature was twelve degrees when I got up. I wandered out to the fence and refilled the bird feeder. It wasn’t too long before the first feathered friends arrived.

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Cardinals are always a welcome sight. Four years ago we moved from a wooded area into town and the variety of birds to watch and photograph diminished significantly. There are several pairs of cardinals though.

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Not everyone is a fan of the sparrow. They are plentiful and harmless enough but they just don’t provide much color for a photograph.

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Starlings on the other hand are very colorful, but also very annoying. They will swarm a feeder like bees around a hive. They kick out more of the seeds than they eat and will not allow other birds near the feeder until they are finished plundering. They are little more than feathered pigs in my opinion, but they do make good photo subjects. There are two birds that will run them off. Mocking birds and Bluejays will not tolerate starlings and will send them running for cover.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week the theme is “Your Choice”. As a teen/twenty something of the sixties and a long time resident of Tulsa Oklahoma I have decided to feature one of the city’s favorite sons. The musicians of Tulsa developed their own Tulsa Sound and artists like Jim Webb, J. J. Cale, Elvin Bishop, Dwight Twilly and David Gates called Tulsa their hometown. But the musician that many of us remember most fondly was none other than Leon Russell. Sir Elton John credits Leon as one of his idols. Leon’s musical career began at the age of 14 playing in local nightclubs. Since Oklahoma was a dry state so there were no liquor laws per-se and that allowed Leon to earn his living at a very early age. He moved to L.A. and became one of a group of A-List session musicians known as the “Wrecking Crew”.  His list of session credits include playing on recordings by Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. Leon enjoyed a solo career that spanned from the late sixties into the late seventies and then drifted back into sessoin work. He renovated an old church into a recording studio in Tulsa and it is still around today. The likes of Eric Clapton, and Paul McCartney have played with Leon in that studio. Leon passed away in 2016 and the music industry lost an iconic talent while Tulsa lost a favorite son.

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Leon wrote “Delta Lady” for Joe Cocker, but you haven’t heard this song until you hear Leon do it.

Another song authored by Leon was “A Song For You”.

As I mentioned earlier, Sir Elton John considered Leon one of his idols. After years (decades) in obscurity, Elton lead the campaign that put Leon rightfully in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They collaborated on an album The Union and went on tour. The album is worth adding to your collection. Here is a cut from the dynamic duo.

One last cut from the best Rocker to come out of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Have a blessed week and “Rock on!”

21 thoughts on “Aww…some Monday’s Music Moves Me”

  2. Sandee

    We too love the birds. We have lots of sparrows here too. There are doves and other colorful birds. They are always an aw to watch them go about their day.

    Thank you for joining the Awww Mondays Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Awww Monday and week. 🙂

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  3. Cathy Kennedy

    Driller,

    I love your photos of your little-feathered friends visiting! This is my first exposure to Leon Russell’s mewsical voice. Actually, I didn’t know who was, so I very much appreciated the introduction. He certainly is a good songwriter. I recognize these hit songs. Thanks for sharing your freebie selections today with the 4M gang. Have a boogietastic week, my friend!

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  5. Alan Bates

    Leon Russell is certainly a Tulsa icon. He was quite a real estate investor in the city as well. I read an article that said he owned over 20 properties in town. (not all at the same time). The Church is being revamped again as a studio.

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  6. XmasDolly

    Great pics of the birds. What do you feed the sparrows? I was wondering what was in that pic? Thanks for that addition. I never heard of Leon Russell. Man, can he play those keys. He sure knew how to rock & write for sure. I totally have rocked to some of his hits. Thank you for such a great selection. Many memories with these tunes for sure. Being a keyboard player myself I truly appreciate this gentleman. Stay warm & have a great rockin’ week!

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  9. John Holton

    Leon’s a great singer, no doubt about it. His version of “This Masquerade” is better than George Benson’s, and I usually prefer George.

    JJ Cale is just dynamite. I did one of his songs on Song Lyric Sunday this past week. Every time I hear him, I ask myself why I don’t listen to more of him. And thanks for mentioning Elvin Bishop: he started in Chicago with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

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    1. DrillerAA

      I think Leon was at his best in smaller venues. I think he felt more connected to the audience in the more I intimate settings. It was not unusual for him to just show up at one of the local clubs in Tulsa and jam with the house band. He never got too far from his musical roots.

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  10. Alana Mautone (@RamblinGarden)

    Leon Russell…yes, what a talent. I never knew (shame on me, having lived in Northwest Arkansas for several years in the 1980’s) that he was from Tulsa. It’s a shame I didn’t explore Tulsa more when I was in the area, but I digress…I enjoyed A Song for You and his duet with Elton John especially. And the bird pictures. Sparrows may not be showy but my Mom loved to feed them bread thrown out of our 4th floor apartment window in New York City when I was growing up. I have a soft spot in my heart for them.

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