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Bob Russell (songwriter)

Bob Russell (born Sidney Keith Rosenthal;[1][2] April 25, 1914[1] – February 18, 1970[3]) was an American songwriter (mainly lyricist) born in Passaic, New Jersey.[1]

This article is about the songwriter Bob Russell. For the singer and songwriter, see Bobby Russell.

Career[edit]

Russell attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He worked as an advertising copywriter in New York; for a time, his roommate there was Sidney Sheldon, later a novelist. He turned to writing material for vaudeville acts, and then for film studios, ultimately writing complete scores for two movies: Jack and the Beanstalk and Reach for Glory. The latter film received the Locarno International Film Festival prize in 1962. A number of other movies featured compositions by Russell, including Affair in Trinidad (1952), Blue Gardenia (1953), The Girl Can't Help It (1956), The Girl Most Likely (1957), A Matter of WHO (1961), Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952), Sound Off (1952), That Midnight Kiss (1949), and A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950).[4] In the movies The Girl Most Likely, Blue Gardenia and Matter of WHO, Russell's compositions included the title songs.


In 1968, Russell along with songwriting partner Quincy Jones was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category ("The Eyes of Love" for the film Banning). The following year, he and Jones were again nominated in the same category (the title song for the Sidney Poitier film For Love of Ivy).


He had his last hit song in 1969–70 with "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", co-written with Bobby Scott and recorded by The Hollies. The song was introduced to the group by Russell's son-in-law Jefferey Spearitt, who was living in London at the time with his wife Simohn.


Among Russell's collaborators were Louis Alter, Peter De Rose, Duke Ellington, Bronislaw Kaper, Lester Lee, Carl Sigman, Harold Spina, and Harry Warren.

Hall of fame[edit]

In 1970, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[5] In 2004, he was posthumously awarded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers lifetime achievement award in the pop category. The award's presenter, songwriter Marilyn Bergman, called Russell a "mentor and dear, dear friend", without whom she "never would have become a songwriter".[6]

Personal life and death[edit]

Russell died in 1970 from lymphoma in Beverly Hills. He was survived by his wife, Hannah Russell (1913–2002), sister of songwriter Bud Green.

"" (music by written by Margarita Lecuona)

Babalu

"" (music by Carl Sigman)

Ballerina

"" (wrote English language lyric to music by Ary Barroso)

Brazil

"Carnival" (music by )

Harry Warren

"Circus" (music by )

Louis Alter

"" (music by Carl Sigman)

Crazy He Calls Me

"" (music by Duke Ellington)

Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

"" (music by Duke Ellington)

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

"" (Music by Alberto Domínguez, lyrics by Dominguez and Charles Carpenter as well as Russell)

Frenesi

"" (music by Bobby Scott)

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

"" (music by Duke Ellington)

I Didn't Know About You

"I Know, I Know, I Know" (music by )

Bronislaw Kaper

"Interlude" (music by )

Pete Rugolo

"Like Love" (music by )

Duke Ellington

"" (music by Lorenzo Barcelata)

Maria Elena

"" (collaboration with Fred Wise and Milton Leeds on English language lyric)

Misirlou

"" (with Tutti Camarata)

No More

"" (music by Paul Weston after Frédéric Chopin)

No Other Love

"Once" (1962 with Joanie Sommers and Bobby Troup Sextet) (music by Harold Spina)

"Taboo" (wrote lyric to music by Margarita Lecuona)

English language

"The Next Train Out" (music by )

Lincoln Mayorga

"Temporary Jones" (music by )

Robert Lamm

"Time Was" (English lyric for "Duerme", music by Miguel Prado, original Spanish lyric by Gabriel Luna de la Fuente)

"(Why Have a Falling Out) Just When We're Falling in Love" (adaptation of "Robbin's Nest" by and Sir Charles Thompson)

Illinois Jacquet

"" (music by Harold Spina)

Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)

"" (music by John Benson Brooks)

You Came a Long Way from St. Louis

Bob Russell on Songwriters Hall of Fame site

at IMDb

Bob Russell

Bio on Jazz Standards site

discography at Discogs

Bob Russell

at Find a Grave

Bob Russell