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The Muscle Shoals Years
The 1970's were exciting times for a young musical hopeful to be hanging in
Muscle Shoals. With the likes of the Stones, Bob Seger, Blackfoot, Skynyrd, and
even Bob Dylan coming in and out of town, there was always the chance that some
of their magic might just rub off. But..... long before the town was dubbed "The
Hit Recording Capitol of the World", there was a groupOf unpretentious
songwriters that gathered there with some magic of their own. Their heartfelt
love for anything
"southern", from Blues to Rock & Roll to Country and Gospel, gave the Shoals
it's "Soul".
In the fall of '73, while on tour as the band leader for Polydor Records' soul
singer, Ruby Winters, Russell got the call that Muscle Shoals Sound Publishing
was interested in his songs and he quickly agreed to meet with producer and
publisher, Jimmy Johnson. Although Winters' new single, "I Will", was #5 in
England and expected to climb the charts in the U.S. as well, Gulley had dreams
of his own and with the encouragement of Johnson, he made the move. While at
Muscle Shoals Sound, he developed as a songwriter and under the wings of
producers Johnson and David Hood, he and his brother, Dennis, recorded for
Capitol Records, as well as, the MSS label.
With their band, JACKSON HIGHWAY, the brothers toured as the opening act for Ted
Nugent, Blackfoot, Triumph, and UFO. As time went by, they found respect among
their peers within the music business as "musician's musicians" and proven
professionals. Today, their skills are in demand as songwriters, session
musicians and singers, producers, and performers.
The Beat Daddys
Russell has worked with such stars as, Ray Peterson (Tell Laura I Love Her),
Ronnie Dove (One Kiss For Old Times Sake), Margo Smith (The Tennessee Yodler),
Leroy Van Dyke (Walk On BY) and others.Most recently, he spent some two years
criss crossing the country with the Malaco/Waldoxy recording group, The Beat
Daddys. The band performed at premier blues clubs, festivals, and casinos, such
as Stevie Ray's in Louisville, Bourbon Street Blues Bar in Nashville, Tobacco
Road in Miami, and at The Janis Joplin Birthday Bash in Port Arthur, Texas.
Blues Writer
One of Russell’s songs, "Miss Dixie", is featured on The Beat Daddys’ latest
Malaco release and has been in heavy rotation on Direct TV's Blues Channel,
while the CD titled,"Delta Vision", made it to #14 in The Living Blues
Magazine’s Cd Charts.
Russell continues to write, record, and perform. Collaboration with former
Allman Brothers Band member, Johnny Neel, has resulted in one of his songs being
selected as the title track for Neel's solo CD,"Late Nite Breakfast".The Cd also
features two other Gulley collaborations. The popular Kansas City band, The
Juveniles, has also recorded “Late Nite Breakfast”.Recording artists continue to
discover Russell’s writing abilities. This year, the Chicago blues veteran, Carl
Weathersby, the “heir apparent to Albert King”, recorded the Gulley composition,
“Nothing Hurts A Man (Like A Woman Can). The song is featured on his comeback
CD, “Holdin’ On”. Blueswaxx E-zine, a partner of the Blues Revue Magazine
organization, has already nominated the Weathersby CD for CD of the year.
Back to the Swamp
With the release of his first solo CD, “Back to the Swamp”; Russell is
revitalizing his recording career after a silence of more than two decades. His
last release was in 1981 on MSS / Capitol Records with the Shoals-based Southern
rock band, Jackson Highway, and his current one is a return to the roots of the
music that has always influenced him most - a funky mix of Americana, blending
blues, rock, country and gospel.
Recording “Back to the Swamp” has reunited Russell with two former band mates:
his brother, Dennis, and Tommy Patterson. Together with Patterson on harp and
Dennis and as producer, “Back to the Swamp” is like a long awaited family
reunion. Rounding out the sessions are guest performances by his buddy, Johnny
Neel, Chris Anderson of The Outlaws and Blackhawk, Shane Sutton with the Gary
Allen Band, and other members of the Straight Up Sound Recording family in
Nashville.
All of the songs on the Back to the Swamp CD are either originals or have been
chosen for their connection to the Shoals Tradition. Several are
autobiographical, such as the title track, "Back to the Swamp", along with an
acoustical remake of "Piece of Good Earth", the first single released by Jackson
Highway on the MSS label in 1977. One other title, "The Gospel According to the
Blues", is an a cappella performance that deals with intercultural influences as
experienced by Russell as a young boy on the streets in his hometown of Fort
Payne, Alabama. There he saw the Blues personified in the town's legendary
street sweeper, "Uncle Bud".
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