Sketchy Stuff

LEON, THE ART TEACHER & ME

By Mike Olszewsk

I’M OUT OF SPACE

Four free-standing shelves and a custom-made wall unit are filled, and I still have books that need a home. One of those is a massive new book about a personal hero, Leon Russell.

Leon who? Trust me, you’ve heard his work, and “Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History’’ by Bill Janovitz (Hachette Books) does a stellar job of covering it all.

At 590+ pages, it’s the definitive book about one of the driving forces of rock and roll. From his early days in Oklahoma, working as an L.A. studio musician with everyone from Sinatra to the Beach Boys, his days with Joe Cocker, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and even Willie Nelson… Janovitz covers it all.

A Legend

Back in high school (when you were told to get your hair cut if it touched the top of your ears), Leon had hair down to his elbows under a big top hat. He was a role model for kids trying to be hippies.

I had an art class with a teacher who, oddly enough, was not a very good artist. She assigned us a project to design a stained-glass window. During study hall, I did a simple sketch of Leon Russell. I got called out for the design and turned in a half-hearted mosaic. I got an A and kept the sketch.

My wife and I caught Leon every time he toured: The two-hour show at Blossom Music Center (with a four-hour wait to get out of the parking lot), the rain-soaked show at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, and every club date at the Empire, the Beachland Ballroom and many more.

Leon developed some health issues and when we went to visit him at Wilbert’s, we saw him zip by on an electric scooter, looking like a white-haired Cousin Itt in a cowboy hat. When he played JB’s in Kent, we interviewed him and found him looking like a sad old man, sitting on a throne at the far end of his tour bus. After the interview, Leon excused himself because he had to move his own equipment truck. By the way, he always made it a point to mention his bass player was from Cleveland.

Years later, in the same city at The Kent Stage, a surprisingly energetic Leon did a great concert and told the audience, “This is where I end the show and come out surprised that you want an encore. We’re all too old for that. I’ll do two more songs and give me a few minutes. I’ll be out by my bus.”

Afterward, I went up to Leon with my sketch from the high school art class, handed it to him and told the story behind it. He looked at it for a minute, signed the preliminary sketch, handed it back and said, “Nice job, buddy.”

Take that, you short-sighted, marginally talented art teacher! I have been vindicated. Now, to find a place for that book…

Mike Olszewski is a veteran award-winning radio, TV and print journalist. Contact him at janmike1978@gmail.com

Boom Trivia

Last issue, I asked about the Cleveland connection to “Sanford and Son.” There are a couple. In one flashback episode, Fred Sanford is seen as a young pool hustler in “The Best Location,” but I was referring to LaWanda Page, “Aunt Esther,” a former Clevelander who toured with fire-breathing dancers. She was a familiar face at the old Lancer’s Steak House at East 77th and Carnegie.

For next time, and this is a tough one: The Who’s Pete Townshend had a great affection for Northeast Ohio. Pete wrote a song about the city titled “Sheraton Gibson” (after a picnic for the band thrown by Mike and Jules Belkin), but also mentioned a former TV kids’ show host in another song. Name the song and host. (I told you it was tough.) I’ll have the answer in the next issue.