Fans can now experience Leon Russell’s classic, “A Song For You,” alongside some rare footage of the late musician taken from his personal archive.
Videos by American Songwriter
Set to an intimate recording of the acclaimed track, which was recently re-released with his Signature Songs album, the music video plays footage of Russell throughout the height of his career.
The long-out-of-print 2001 release, Signature Songs, was re-issued on March 17 and features a collection of the star’s reinvented classics, seeing stripped-down versions and unique re-imaginings of several of the hits throughout his 60-year career.
Re-issued by the George Harrison-founded label Dark Horse Records, Signature Songs stands out as a vivid reminder of the Rock & Roll and Songwriters’ Hall of Famer’s talent. He was a musical genius whose career intersected with fellow icons such as Elton John, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Delaney and Bonnie, Willie Nelson, J.J. Cale, Bob Marley, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bonnie Raitt, and many more.
Along with “A Song For You,” many of the composer’s songs became enduring rock standards, like the tracks “Tight Rope,” “Stranger In A Strange Land,” “The Masquerade,” and “Lady Blue.” All can be revisited in Signature Songs.
While the songsmith passed away in 2016, this year alone has shaped up to be a big one for Russell and his legacy. His story was recently committed to the page with last month’s release of Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History, a biography about his life and career, as well as the definitive guide to understanding the complex artist.
The biography was written by author-musician Bill Janovitz and is told with the support of Russell’s estate. The nearly 600-page book defines the legendary composer as “a genre-defying, multi-talented artist whose wildly diverse body of work has affirmed him as a one-of-a-kind Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and truly mythical figure in American music.” Check out the five things we learned about Russell from the book, HERE.
Check out the new video below.
Photo by Robert Knight Archive/Redferns
