Russell’s Bio

Russell emerged from the urban wasteland of the northern suburbs of Melbourne in the early 1970s. He later went to art school at RMIT and graduated as a fully-certified artiste in 1980. Along the way he took up drumming and played in a couple of art school bands before taking that fateful tram ride to the bohemian heartland of Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. There he hooked up with singer Henry Maas and bassist Toni Edwards of Black Cat Café fame and, along with sax player Andrew Phillip, they formed the 3-piece, Buddy Lovestein Big Band.

Buddy Lovestein eventually evolved into The Bachelors from Prague, an energetic group of serious young men who loved to play music influenced by everyone from Miles Davis to James Brown. They were once described by the Comune di Vittorio Veneto’s (Northern Italy) promotional people as “band, pop funky”. But that was the least of it, coz back home in Oz they had a reputation for frantic live gigs notable for the sweaty, energetic dancing of delirious punters.

The Bachelors did all the usual band things: TV, recording albums, touring all over the country and overseas and working with a bunch of wonderful musicians – Kate Ceberano, Vika and Linda Bull, Ricky May, Kerry Simpson, the Doug Anthony Allstars, George Huxley, Rachel Berger, Wendy Harmer, Billy London, Paisley Cravat (aka Rick Swaney), Vince Jones, the trombone guy from the Victoria Police Band and a whole host more.

For the last 28 years Russell has lived on the Far-Out South Coast of NSW and has continued to annoy folks with his drumming. He has worked with local legends Ken Oath and the Profaners, Blue Pool, Loyd Speigel, Daniel Champagne and now Wrack & Ruin! Oh yeah!