The State
cover a couple of other points of interest in Leon Russell’s hometown and stressed that none of it would interfere with the 8 p.m. BOK Center show. “Since we have our concert at 2 in the afternoon, there would be plenty of time for him to stop at Church Studio [Leon’s former recording headquarters] and see what’s happening there, and also to swing by Memorial Park and see the monument for Leon that he contributed $5,000 to help build,” Risk says. “And then, I’m hoping he can make a cameo at our event.” Risk, the foundation’s founder, past president and adviser, has been down this road before, and so has Rogers’ principal, Nikki Dennis. As Risk says, “In 2016, maybe late 2015, Nikki and I were talking, and she said, ‘You know, we’re a closed campus. People can’t come in INSIDER and see this building on many occasions – only when we have tours. And it’s such a beautiful building.’ “It is, too – built during the Great Depression, with about half the money coming from WPA funds. So I said, ‘Well, why don’t we have an event, a concert in the auditorium?’ I’m A tribute to Leon Russell could result in a megastar special guest. familiar with the auditorium because I was on the stage crew when I was in high school, and in my senior year I was f you’re reading this anytime after Feb. 9, then student superintendent.” you know – or can easily find out – whether It sounded like a good idea to both of them, so Risk Sir Elton John paid a visit to Will Rogers High ended up booking the Kingston Trio, a favorite act from School while he was in town for his concert at his student days at Oklahoma State University, for a Tulsa’s BOK Center that same day. concert there. The long-lived folk music group played Why would a rock music megastar want to take the Feb. 16, 2016, a date, like the one for the Leon Russell time to drop by a local high school? In this instance, the reason involves Rogers graduate and fellow rocker Leon concert, that wasn’t picked randomly. “We hoped to tie it to a Feb. 14 show by Arlo Guthrie Russell, a man whom Sir Elton called, via Instagram, at the Brady,” he says, “because the Kingston Trio “a mentor [and an] inspiration” following Leon’s 2016 had helped familiarize a new generation about Woody death. A few years earlier, the two had rekindled a perGuthrie with their recording of ‘This Land Is Your Land’ forming relationship that had begun in the early 1970s, [on the 1961 Goin’ Places album, which sold in excess yielding – this time around – a best-selling album, of 500,000 copies].” 2010’s The Union, and a well-received tour. Risk contacted Guthrie’s people, but he was turned And it’s not just that Leon is a Rogers alumnus. It’s down, ostensibly because of travel issues. Even without also that the Will Rogers High School Community a Guthrie cameo, however, the concert earned a signifiFoundation completely refurbished the 1938 Baldwin cant amount of money for the foundation, which, Risk grand piano that he played as a student and decided to LEON RUSSELL PERFORMS ON A SHAW notes, “has given, I’m told, a half-million dollars to the celebrate that restoration with a 2 p.m. Feb. 9 concert MEMORIAL ORGAN school from contributions and fundraising.” highlighting Leon and his music. IN THE WILL ROGERS He hopes the Leon Russell tribute show sees similar Richard B. Risk Jr., Leon’s fellow graduate from the AUDITORIUM WITH JANICE GIBSON CARR success – with or without an appearance from Elton Rogers class of 1959, as well as the event’s producer, (LEFT) AND SHARON John. To that end, he’s enlisted the help of a number of wrote the official letter inviting Sir Elton to the show and HANDLEY IN 1959. PHOTO COURTESY WILL ROGmusicians and others familiar with the Russell legacy, took pains to make sure it was hand-delivered to the star ERS HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY including Teresa Knox, the new owner of the Church himself. In it, Risk outlined a possible day trip that would FOUNDATION
Russell’s Legacy Lives On
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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2019
