Sittin' on a highway in a broken van
Thinkin' of you again.
Guess I have to hitchhike to the station;
With every step I see your face
Like a mirror looking back at me
Sayin' you're the only one.
Making me feel I could survive.
I'm so glad to be alive.
Nowhere to run and no guitar to play.
Mixed up inside and it's been raining all day
Since you want away.
Manhattan Island Serenade.
Leon Russell has always been one of my favorite performers. As a teenager, my friend Randy and I would buy his albums as they came out, and I remember us listening repeatedly to the eponymous Leon Russell, Leon Russell and The Shelter People, Leon Live, Hank Wilson's Back and--still one of my favorite albums for late-night solo road trips--Carney.
He was a gifted songwriter, and many of his songs became hits for other leading musicians. like This Masquerade (George Benson), Superstar (The Carpenters) and A Song for You (Danny Hathaway and many others). He was highly respected throughout the music industry, producing for many of the top stars (Stones, Dylan, Sinatra) and often performing as well (keyboards, guitar). Elton John says Russell was his biggest influence as a pianist and songwriter.
I saw him in concert in Florida in the 90's. He was already prematurely hobbled then, walking with a cane and sitting at the keyboards throughout his performance. But his voice was still distinctive and captivating and the concert featured both his mournful love songs and the high-energy rockers that always made him fun.
R.I.P. Leon Russell. Today I'm singing a song for you.
