Honky-tonk like a teenager

The Oklahoma-born Leon Russell can handle just about anything: country, rock, blues, pop and gospel. Russell got his start in music at age 3, studying classical piano before moving on to the trumpet and, when he was just a teen, his own rock ’n’ roll band. Russell started playing the clubs in Tulsa when he was 14 and never looked back. In the decades since, he’s played with everyone: the Byrds, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Herb Alpert. His own discography includes his acclaimed 1970 self-titled debut album and, more recently, 2008’s Bad Country, a collection of honky-tonk-influenced tracks on which the 67-year-old musician plays with the skill of a veteran but with the enthusiasm of that energetic teen who first discovered the power of live music.