Mike's Thoughts for Rich

Rich is on the left in an album photo of MSQ.

Rich Russo was all about sharing his life experience. He embraced the magic and mystery of life and brought what he found in his own life to those around him. Whether it was a Ray Charles soulful moan or a precision Stevie Ray Vaughn guitar lick, Rich shared the music, the feelings, the laughter and his experiences. He also brought his great musical talent to task and had a long career as a songwriter, performer, teacher, manager and a big player in many aspects of the musical instrument industry. From his roots in the outskirts of New York City, his first band, the Ebbtones, found success early on through continuous performance in the local venues like the White Brick Inn and through recordings such as the well known Charlena. His music evolved from the late 50’s early Rock and Roll, singing groups and standards, influenced for example, by Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and the Platters, into various flavors of early 60’s US rock scene including soul, blues and jazz. During this time, the group broadened its repertoire and changed into the MSQ. Soon after the British invasion, the rock music scene in New York became more introspective as the musicians and artists realized that they were in the midst of social upheaval. The MSQ gave way to the innovative and unique show band the Scarecrow. It was here that Rich fulfilled his greatest artistry and the group worked on original music recorded but unreleased by Columbia Records.

The Scarecrow wore white and black face makeup, not as a cheap gimmick, but to illustrate the various faces that comprise our society. In the show, with the music raging, the white and black faced characters would square off in a mock battle. Each thrust of the “good” guitarist would be met by the metallic crash of the “bad” Brock. The musical sparks would shriek and scream as the metal on metal battle raged on. With the defeat of the “bad” Brock, the good guitarist would slowly recover his strength with the increasing sense of glory reflected in growing intensity of the triumphant solo. The defeated Brock would wither away as justice was served. The symbolism was clear: there is a need for basic human rights for all humanity and the need for justice to prevail in this battle was cause for celebration but it would not occur without pain and suffering. The idea was novel for the 60’s, but still remains true that we must all be vigilant to achieve justice. The quality and originality of the group was captured in the Columbia album and can be heard in such titles as Here I Stand and MLK (both written by Rich – MLK = Martin Luther King). The intensity that he was able to bring to his performances is evident in his version of the chuck Berry tune “You Can’t Catch Me”. Here his driving bass provided the backbone for his fiery vocal in this powerhouse of a tune that captures much of the live “stage” feel of the Scarecrow.

After the Scarecrow, Rich played with various musicians (Cold Spring Harbor) with the focus shifting to recording and other projects. His sound engineering and performance skills continue to shine as exemplified by tunes such as I’m a King Bee (Rich on Bass, vocal by the late John Lipinsky) and many others that remain unpublished.

Although I could say a great deal more about the life and music of Rich Russo, let me end by saying that his energy, passion and love will be missed by all that knew him.

Loving brother Mike