Maxwell Russell was born and raised in northwest Alabama. He grew up in the Colbert County area, a region which has had its share of music greats. It is home to Muscle Shoals Sound, Fame and other famous, ground breaking studios. It is also the hometown of Blues legend W.C. Handy. Maxwell has been playing the guitar since he was a youngster but started his journey in the "business" at the age of 26, forming bands along the way and playing his originals at gigs. He writes music ranging from Country ballads and Country rockers to Blues and Jazz numbers and old time Rock ‘n’ Roll. Maxwell has a catalog of over 200 songs, not very many by today’s song writing and music business standards but each song has a personal feeling or story that has taken a lifetime of work in preparation.Max grew up in a family that loved music but didn't have money for such luxuries as records or even a good radio. “Older music was about all we had in those days. If it wasn't on the AM radio we didn't hear it.†But that changed when, at the age of 14, he won a stereo system from a local radio station. He started finding out what the music world had to offer. He was heavily influenced by real Rock ‘n’ Roll, Texas Blues, Delta Blues and of course traditional Country. Years of writing poems, words and melodies have shaped his music into a style that some people label as Americana. “I never know when or where they come from... I just write them down. It’s a gift I am very thankful for. It's my pop-off valve, my release, my passion.â€Max plays bottle neck Blues on his National steel guitar like a man possessed. He plays original songs and traditional blues standards and pays tribute to the masters with his renditions of classic Blues numbers. His music is influenced by old school Delta music, Slide, Boogie, Shuffles, Swing and old Rock ‘n’ Roll. He plays songs by the likes of Howling Wolf, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters, Carl Perkins and newer artists like Tony Joe White and Stevie Ray Vaughan to name a few.
Max has played mainly throughout the southeast for festivals and clubs. In 2006, he entered and won first place in a Blues band competition in Birmingham, Alabama and was sent to Memphis for the international competition. He has two albums of original music and one live recording of solo Delta Blues music which will be released soon. He is working with other songwriters every chance he gets and this is opening up some new doors in the music world. Max is still hammering away at the clubs with his band,and playing his acoustic Blues.for more information
email [email protected]
or call 256 648 0152
256 767 3359I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
