ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN - LEON RUSSELL (11/18/1964) HQ

[Suevtres]

Love Leon.

[capitolemiproducer]

Is that Bill Pitman on the Strat

[mortyfromc]

I was home on a Friday night in about 1970-'71 watching Merv Griffin, I think, and he had Leon Russell on his show along with some act Playing at the Troubador in Hollywood by the name of Elton John, who I had never heard of. Well, the show was turned over to the two musicians and they had dueling pianos going for about 20 minutes. Some of the best T.V. I have ever seen. They kept challenging each other and the music got better and better. I will never forget it. A few weeks later, Elton hit big

[Suevtres]

Check Leon & J.J. Doing "Corina Corina".

[mrbarthoss1]

Press thumbs up if you are checking out Leon Russell's music because of his

recent collaboration with Elton John...... Good stuff!

[msjenjenp]

Fabulous. There are no other words.

[AgTigress]

@crazyskuwanki Even though it's all about how he sounds, he is definitely visually more appealing with long hair... ;-) An attractive male with long hair will always trump an attractive male with short hair for me; but then, I am around Leon's age, and I think he still looks great. 

[NoRosesForMe]

I think he was one of the musicians for Shindig.....or.....somethin...­maybe Im wrong. Read somethin about it ,,,I think. But yea this is amazing. Hes lovely as usual.

[YourRump]

Immediately after the show...."Hey Leon, that was great! Try this, it's called marijuana!"

[metafis]

@YourRump

Lol. Like spinal tap, the clean cut guys of the late fifties and early sixties become the long haired degenerates of the late sixties and beyond

...and gave us some of the best music ever, in all guises . :)

[Amhlair]

@crazyskuwanki It's in style if you grow it!

[zzyyxxo]

oh this is so trippy and wonderful!

[fancynancyjw]

He sure has come a long way, not only long hair, but can't believe he wrote This Masquarade and This Song For You.

[judecreek2]

@fancynancyjw Along with Delta Lady, Back to The Island, Lady Blue, and about 10,000 other wonderful songs!

[jillzi7]

@crazyskuwanki ........honey, long hair or short, good guys never go out of style, keep on keepn on

[bernadettebergvik]

some one once told me that the ending is saying something about being lost out in the jungle because there is no word in Swahili for 'woods'.

[RCampbellProductions]

@crazyskuwanki it is in style!, well i hope so cause i look like that!

[carvcom1]

A great young Leon!

[gracewarren2]

First time I have ever seen Leon like this, but hey it's Leon,, so all good for me!

[eddie054]

He looks friggin cool

[ryderg47]

Looks more like Liberace.

[hollybuck123]

I thought I saw every single "Shindig" but I certainly don't remember this...very cool and thank you

[TheThunderbyrd]

HE AIN'T JERRY LEE LEWIS

[guyNbluejeans]

@TheThunderbyrd Okay, Jerry, your thoughts have been noted. lol.

[valkour22]

@TheThunderbyrd yea Leon is at least 10x better.

[gsdsteve]

@TheThunderbyrd I got news for u. Jerry Lee doesn't have anywhere near the musical skills that Leon does

[styrbjornful]

check the girls doing the pony and the jerk...

[CattailsandRoses]

So he was 22 years old here--born in April 1942... Amazing voice for a kid like that.

[w9j15g]

This sounds slowed down.

[dorotwhy]

They tried to conform him...thank EVERYTHING in the name of art that he didn't. He looks...so...not in his realm.

[reddnec]

Wow

[bethbnolan]

Thanks for posting this; I've never seen him like this!

[211bill]

Leon Russell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011

[eberg92]

hahaha man never wouldve thought that was leon till he starts singing..what an amazing talent

[rudfil]

What a young looking stud Leon Russell is in this video with girls screaming and all. lol. ... Can't mistake that voice though.

[WhippJunior]

Long Hair, Short Hair, NO Mistakin' That Voice! I Remember Watching Shindig! Wow, Great VId!

[karyn628]

STill the coolest guy in the room !!

[Syzygy60]

this is b4 jeff lynne and ELO,(which i love)

[Syzygy60]

this is freakin' fabulous

[19LadyBlue61]

Wow Leon! This is awesome! I'm really missin' that long hair, though - but.....guess they woulda thought you were a hippie!!!

[RLM575]

Wow - Thank God for Shindig & Hulabaloo, or we wouldn't have all these great live performances on vidoe

[rpscot]

Thanks for a nice look at Leon in his youth when he was still relatively unknown to the masses for the genius he is known to be now!

[kumetalsmith]

Leon played with Jerry Lee Lewis when he was a teenager, Born in 1942, he was in his early 20's when this film was recorded. He was part of the house band for the TV teen dance show "Shindig".

The man has been around!

[countdankula1]

this is a golden voice.....

[goodolarchie]

Wow I had no idea Leon was big in the 50s like this

[gsdsteve]

@goodolarchie He wasn't big in the 50's. this is probably 1964 and he was mostly a studio musician and piano player in the Shindig TV show band.

[Captainjinks]

Thanks for a wonderful piece of Americana - Leon has always been a favorite of mine...

[vickima12]

46 years later, "Look at you in your monkey suit."  :)

[choad1976]

And I thought he was born with a beard.

[Rabidburt]

Check the 'flood pants' on the guitarist. . .3 feet high and rising. . .

[howdoyousleepyoucunt]

the kid rock of the sixties

[Mikemaniax]

Who knew that Leon Russell had the idea of combining Ludwin Van Beethoven with "Roll Over Beethoven" almost 10 years before ELO!

[nano952]

Wtf can u say awesome

[LJH70122]

Who knew Leon was a Jerry Lee Lewis impersonator in a previous life ?

[lovingtheoldtunes]

AMAZING! Didn't know this even existed. Thanks

[Mausome]

LOL!

[higgme1ster]

What a trip when for 40 years you've seen him as the ultimate freak he was on Carney!

[densestarr]

What a wicked left hand. Leon could really pound the bass keys.

[Moscato51]

WOW! I can't believe this! I remember this show called Shindig and I was a junior in high school at that time. I didn't remember Leon Russell being on the show back then. What great nostalgia! As a musician myself I can really appreciate watching this. Thank you so much for putting this on You Tube!

[bronncohowie]

Looks like Jerry Lee Lewis' little brother - awesome !!!!

[GenerallyUpbeat]

@bronncohowie

Great Observation! You nailed it!

[maxeythecat]

Oh my GOD...I've been such a fan of his ever since the days of Mad Dogs and Bangladesh, but in all honesty I was never aware of just how much he's actually done.,...WOW!

[hankbat5149]

I'm getting Ludwig and not Russell at all. I guess copyrights and alll.....etc.

[and2244rew]

What a transformation 7 years later he's wearing long hair and a Cat in the Hat style top hat and now hes a very different hat away from being Gandalf the Grey

[mlfain56]

@and2244rew really!  i love me some Leon!

[radiovixen76]

Wow, I love all things Leon, and have never seen this clip before. The man can bang it out. Love him even more

[liamrocksmysockstm]

drugs REALY affects some people

[CaroleInAshland]

How can anybody look so bored while rockin' that hard?

[TheLadymiss22]

Uhmmm those bedroom eyes... Who knew he had that sexy cleft chin....

[guyNbluejeans]

Cool.

[Msvangogo]

who woulda thunk it??

[clarkewi]

That is hot. Real Southern Rock and Roll - love the Jerry Lee Lewis style. Vocal is amazing.

[judecreek2]

Leon's wearing the tux and tails, so where's the top hat? Oh, yeah, that came about 6 years later.....

[19chiefs57]

Even horns-waggled by the Shindig show format, Leon rises above it all and not only keeps it authentic, but makes it dead-on awesome!

[Thecodi55]

Love it....Never knew this film exhisted! Leon's on tour again right now..played New Orleans House of Blues this past weekend!

[IrisMG]

Dang, and now he looks like one of ZZ Top's brothers..lol

[starrrkrazeee]

MORE POSTS ABOUT LEON: BRING EM ON YOU ALL!!! SO INCREDIBLY GREAT!!!

[lindan96]

Loved it. Thanks for posting...

[iyamhoooiyam]

Haven't been to Tulsa in 34 years. Did not know Kevin but I'd have told him he made a great hot fudge malt (w/double malt). About the time of my post I met a guy who hung out at Leon's digs up in Talequah - along with a hundred other people I guess. His day job was working at a tire store/garage downtown (name escapes me) where Leon had his cars serviced. Says he worked on that Corniche. Six degrees of separation . . .

[Tulsaguy123]

Reroyo2, I went to Will Rogers high school here in Tulsa with Leon Russell (or Russell Bridges as I knew him) following his career over the years and you are exactly right. I'm inclined to think it was the influence of drugs and the dark side of the musc business that caused that to take place.

[judecreek2]

Leon's wearing the tuxedo, so where's the top hat? Oh yeah, that came about 6 years later........

[charliesgran71]

I can't beleive this is my long haired Delta boy! WOW!

[nicholasmatthewpatto]

@charliesgran71 Well, believe it now mother trucker! Leon's also been good! Actually it is hard to believe that's him!

[reroyo2]

the late sixties really screwed him up...

[grafikfeat]

Ha! That's great. He'd a made a good Abraham Lincoln too! Still... Great piano... Great voice... Even today rockin' w/ Elton John.

Leon's body of work is amazing!

[cat11557]

Leon, Roll Over, who knew. What an amazing talent.

[JerrysTube]

So That's What Leon Looks Like Without His Beard....! Pretty Cool Dude Even Back Then...!

[mitchtoolfan1]

im gonna take a guess and say he came before jerry lee? mayb thats not jerrys sound

[EbonyBunny1]

@mitchtoolfan1 Jerry Lee Lewis started about 10 years before Leon Russell.

[judecreek2]

@mitchtoolfan1 In fact, when Leon was 14, he lied about his age and went on tour with Jerry Lee. Missed some school, but I bet he got one hell of an education being on the road with Jerry Lee!

[dmartinwiggins4]

Never saw this before, Leon at this age. FANTASTIC!

[MorganHillChristine]

@dmartinwiggins4

He's very cute!

[WWEEZZYY]

Wow - this was a surprise. Thanks for sharing. Love Leon and it's nice to be able to see an early piece like this.

[judecreek2]

Well, he's wearing the white tie and tuxedo, so where's the top hat? Oh yeah. that came about 6 years later.

[havinfunnowandthen]

I just love him...then and now.

[giftsdirector]

Un fucking believable!!!

[MsJCBurke]

THIS is Leon Russell?! I thought he was born with long hair a beard and mustache!

[strangefruit42]

@MsJCBurke When you look at the inside of The union, you'll see that at least as a child he didn't seem to have a beard and long hair. Though I wasn't sure if it isn't photoshopped. Leon looks nearly naked without.

[LesbianVampireLover]

@MsJCBurke I know! Incredible! It's like Willie Nelson...I thought he was born as an old man.

[sport142]

Wow...I never knew of this history...I thought he started in the 70's

[dandamagetoo]

got his Elvis Lee Lewis going on babeeeee

[lconeill1949]

I loved shindig!!I loved Leon Russell on there.Simply the best time of my life.

[tataso]

jajaa leon estaba shave off

[sallywilton]

He is better looking now for sure. Great piano playing though.

[yvonnenicol100]

WHAT?????? I NEVER heard of him till like 1972! This is fabulous!  Except for that unmistakable voice, I'd never have recognized him!

[ThePoetrygrl]

Dang - a pompadour hairstyle and clean shaven---Leon, who would've known.

[pcbrown373]

does anyone have a clip of an appearance he did on SNL? no joe cocker- just leon. in the middle of a song belushi comes out, doing cocker. belushi's 'paraplegia' gets worse & worse until he does this viollent prat-fall. Leon breaks up! it's the only photo or film i ever saw of that. fantastic!

[judecreek2]

@pcbrown373 I've been looking for that clip for a long time. It was in 1976, Dyan Cannon was the host and Leon and Mary Russell were the musical guests. That's as far as I can find. Another funny Belushi as Cocker video is called "Bottom of the Barrel", a parody of Mad Dogs. Only Belushi could rhyme Leon with freon.

[brucek1102]

@judecreek2 ..The SNL episode is available thru Amazon Video on Demand for $1.99. I just watched it and for Leon fans it is priceless! He looks and sounds fabulous. Thanks to pcbrown373 for alerting to this...

[judecreek2]

@brucek1102 THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[raleighsquare]

God, but he was Jerry Lee reborn.... Thanks for this rare video

[zahdio]

Very cool sound!

[theoriginalbadbob]

That was some great rock and roll.

[judecreek2]

Leon's wearing the tuxedo--but where's the top hat? Oh, yeah, that came about 6 years later.......

[musicandwar1]

The bigening Was weird but This is. Awseome !!!!!!'

[antivenin]

Leon as a young'un. He must of rocked right out of his mama!!

[PinkLederhosen]

That pompadour just had to come down. It was cool, but he had to become the wild man we love. He is the epitome of cool.

[mitchtoolfan1]

this isnt from 64... no way. he was playin hippy stuff w joe cocker in 60 soooo.... not 64. he'd look like a pimp with a top hat if this was 60's

[alienhuman]

@mitchtoolfan1 It is 1964.

[wavymavy]

@mitchtoolfan1 Actually, judging from what the girls who are dancing are wearing it probably is around 1965.  I remember having the same style of clothes back then.

[sbarr10]

This guy is a musician's musician. He (still) is one of those rare super-musicians who was showing others how to "do it."

[fennis26]

Just saw Leon Sat night at the Pour House, James Island, SC. He's still bangin' it out at 68 and his band is smoking hot! Don't miss them...!

[papafirelin]

i cant belive this...awesome...thanks for the upload

[csribs]

love it before he got way out there and cocker power got hold of him

[mrlucky777]

what an effing great find! thanks!

[zorbazig]

Leon can play !!!

[earthmother]

WOW!! who knew? damn, been a fan of LR for many, many years, ever since the early 70's, not sure how i missed this gem.

thanks for posting!! going right into my favorites

[camerrill]

what are they dancing? the pony/ the frug? the twist? the jerk? i danced them all when i was little!

[thedeadbeats]

this must have been the day old leon began growing his hair out long lol

[ericx777]

AWESOME!!!

Thank you so much missantropica for posting this!!!

[fromthedarkwater25]

my home town hero.... i always talk about Leon when I talk about Tulsa. (in Seattle now)

[crowamonghens]

wow.

[MattGodOfSpam]

He got his hair cut by Jim Blue in Tulsa, OK at 11th and Pittsburg....David Gates and Charlie Daniels have dropped some hair there and me too.

[hjsilver]

Hey MattGodd - I was at the DQ on 11th one time in '70 when he pulled up in a Rolls Corniche w/Mazeppa in shotgun. Had just seen him the previous weekend at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. He had that Rasputin look going on but was a real down to earth nice guy.

[CommercialVehicle]

@hjsilver - I saw that car ! He had his green top hat on, seems like it had a sun roof ....I used to see him driving way out north on his way to visit his relatives in Turley I believe ..

[MattGodOfSpam]

@hjsilver so u might know Kevin who managed and then owned that DQ. U still live in t-town?

[CommercialVehicle]

@MattGodOfSpam - Nah - Jim Blue? Really? I walked right past there on my way home from Rogers ...

[MattGodOfSpam]

@CommercialVehicle definately stop by for a legendary cut if u can

[CommercialVehicle]

@MattGodOfSpam - by best buddy bought a 76' Chrysler Cordoba from Jim

[MattHatter]

Wow. Will ya look at Leon! Always wondered what was underneath all that long hair and beard! Man I know the late '60s changed people but he REALLY changed. He's got a whole Jerry Lee Lewis vibe going on here.

[4Peace4All]

nice opening with "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven followed by Leon's rockin' and rollin'

[reggie441950]

Saw a pic of him playin piano for Frank Sinatra...... can't find any video of it

[suanest]

what a nice surprise, I really knew Leon since Bangla Desh concert, I like his voice, great piano performance and look, never before I've seen him like in this video, and I still love him, is wonderfull!!!!

[rickynye]

WOW!!! I remember seeing this on TV when I was eight years old...he was part of the "Wrecking Crew", the young session players in California (includng Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye & Glen Campbell) who played on SO many pop hits in the '60's...Leon was there! One of my heroes...thanks for posting ths clip, Missantropica!

[RonnieCougar]

I have watched this 50 times and i am just now thanking you for posting this one...i love Leon's hair!!

[reptilicus]

I was just gonna say-dig that coif. Way awesome.

[Elin48]

@reptilicus hairdo in the style of Elvis Presley. Many of that era had this do.

[Elin48]

@reptilicus hairdo in the style of Elvis Presley. Many of that era had this hair style. Let's see so also Ricky Nelson and many more.