Episode #18 – Jo Jo Russell
On this episode, George and I sit down with a songwriter who has an energy and spirit that is both unique and infectious – Jo Jo Russell! It is rare to meet a musician who has supported themselves for their entire life by playing music but that is exactly what Jo Jo has and is still doing.
I think it is safe to say that when Jo Jo takes the stage, people really listen – no one leaves the room or checks out their phone! For someone who seems so perfectly suited to be on stage you will probably be surprised to hear him say that he was terrified to play his songs in his early SSG days!
Starting in the Bronx, Jo Jo’s family soon went on summer vacation to a country cabin in the Greenwood Lake area and at the end of the season his mother announced that they were not going back to the city but would settle right where they were even though it meant his family were the only winter residents of the community. This was an early indicator that when Mom wanted to do something, nothing would stand in her way! She helped his older brother learn standards on guitar and then placed an ad for musicians, auditioned a number of potential players and chose the bandmates that would play with her son – Jo Jo, as the younger brother, assisted the band’s drummer. Soon thereafter Jo Jo took over the drum kit and the family had a band. They began as an instrumental, standards group but everything changed when the Beatle’s arrived. The greatest fun he remembers was when they were called “The Laughing Stock” where anything went and the audience was invited to join in. Jo Jo said they would do things like have laundry draped around the stage!! Boy I wish I had seen one of those shows!
Before ending this summary I need to mention that in 1980, WNEW FM had a contest where bands would send in a tape of one of their songs and Scott Muni fell in love with one of Jo Jo’s “Prisoner of Rock & Roll”. It received quite a bit of airplay for a solid month and while friends raved about it Jo Jo never did hear it on the radio.
One final tidbit: While Jo Jo was a constant songwriter, he would write the song, record it in his own home studio and that would be the end of things. When he found SSG he had to pull out these songs and learn them all over again. As you might imagine there was more than a little stress in taking the stage to play his songs in public for the very first time! We are all very happy that Jo Jo pushed through to share his songs because few performers are more entertaining!
There is so much more but I will leave those stories for the podcast.
Hope you enjoy this episode.
George & Bernie