Profiles in Harmony: Kevin Russell
Part of a limited series on Peacetown performers
By Jim Corbett
For a mild-mannered regular guy, Kevin Russell, displays some amazing super powers. He is an empathetic family therapist by day and at night he becomes a guitar slinging, country western singer, riding the honky-tonk circuit with his band, The Familiar Strangers. In his spare time, he is a promoter and producer of live shows, a recording artist, a radio DJ, and an emcee for Peacetown at the Hopmonk. He does all these things with an even keel and a straight-forward demeanor. Where did he get those super-powers?
Born in Seattle, WA, in 1952, into a Navy family, he moved every couple of years and finally landed in San Diego. He fell in love with the guitar at the age of 13, when two of his uncles would come to the house and play the songs of Hank Williams, Don Gibson and Buck Owens. Like most kids from that era, he got ‘stung' by the music bug when the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. He mother was a member of the Columbia Record Club, so he had a steady stream of albums for his record player. Kevin’s step father was away a lot, so he and his mom started frequenting The Dream Bowl, where he heard his first concert; Bobby Bare singing his hit “Detroit City.”
His first band was a folk trio called Purebird that got a gig at The Heritage Club in Pacific Beach. Strangely, Tom Waits was the doorman at the club. Later in San Diego, Kevin was in The Honky Squat Band with Tom Rozum, who would later be the musical partner of Laurie Lewis. When he moved to Sonoma County, he answered an ad for a bluegrass guitar picker in a band that evolved into The Modern Hicks, who successfully toured the festival circuit, including the Strawberry Music Festival and the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Kansas.
With his love for music, he began producing shows. First at New College and expanding to shows at the Sebastopol Community Center, Youth Annex. Soon he started an annual event, the Sebastopol Guitar Festival, which brought great pickers and guitar builders to town to share their talents. Twice per month he is the host of “Our Roots are Showing” on KRCB radio.
His current band is The Familiar Strangers (cool name) with a gaggle of world-class pickers including Western Swing Hall of Famers, Candy Girard on fiddle and Sean Allen on Guitar. Tim Sarter is on bass and local steel guitar maven is Dave Zirbel. Tim Gahagan keeps the groove going on drums.
As a confirmation of his status, Kevin will be honored with his induction in to the California Western Swing Hall of Fame in October. That is a well-deserved recognition of his super power of bringing great music to the world.