On this day (January 23) in 1940, Johnny Russell was born in Moorhead, Mississippi. He was a comedian who also had a brief recording career, releasing six albums in the 1970s. He only notched one top 10 hit on the country chart as a recording artist. As a songwriter, though, Russell penned multiple timeless songs that became hits for Buck Owens, George Strait, Gene Watson, and Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, among others.
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Russell relocated from Mississippi to California with his family when he was 12 years old. He was a longtime fan of honky tonkers like Ernest Tubb and Lefty Frizzell. Soon, he was writing songs, combining the influence of his musical heroes with his brand of humor and outlook on life. In the late 1950s, he signed a recording contract with an independent label. However, he didn’t find success as a performer at the time. Instead, he got his first break as a songwriter.
[RELATED: Ringo Starr Recalls How The Beatles Came to Record the Buck Owens Classic “Act Naturally”]
According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Chet Atkins heard Russell’s song “In a Mansion Stands My Love” and took it to Jim Reeves. The song then became the B-side to Reeves’ hit “He’ll Have to Go,” which spent 14 weeks at No. 1 in 1960.
“Act Naturally” was a milestone song for Russell. In 1963, Buck Owens took the song to No. 1 on the country chart, where it stayed for four nonconsecutive weeks. It was the first in a long line of chart-topping singles for Owens and remains one of his most popular tracks. The song also caught the ear of Ringo Starr. As a result, The Beatles recorded “Act Naturally” in 1965. It reached No. 47 on the Hot 100.
More of Johnny Russell’s Career Highlights
Johnny Russell wrote several songs that became hits for some of the biggest names in country music. For instance, George Strait took “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together” to the top of the country chart in 1984. “Making Plans” was a No. 2 hit for Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton in 1980. The Statler Brothers took “You’ll Be Back (Every Night in My Dreams)” to No. 3 in 1982.
Russell was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1985. He later became one of the show’s biggest stars and graced the Opry House stage for decades.
He had one top 10 hit as a recording artist. Interestingly, he didn’t write it. Wayland Holyfield and Bob McDill wrote “Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer,” and Russell released it in 1973 as the lead single from his album of the same name. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard country chart and reached No. 1 in Canada.
Johnny Russell died in July 2001 from diabetes-related complications at the age of 61.
Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns
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