In the late 1960s, Leon Russell teamed up with guitarist Marc Benno to form The Asylum Choir. The two went on to record a pair of albums that, while never commercial successes, became critical darlings and blueprints for the kind of musical trailblazer Leon would become over the course of his career. Rolling Stone magazine called the duo's debut album, "Vital, Freaky, and Exciting," and went on to name the album one of its 20 Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the Sixties That You've Never Heard
After their 1968 initial release on Smash records, the two would go their separate ways, with Leon going on to pursue solo work and Benno adding to his resume as a session guitarist with performances on The Doors "L.A. Woman" album. Their second recording was released in 1972, a few years after their disbanding. Leon released it on his own label, Shelter Records, and it went on to peak at #70 on the Billboard 200, in large part due to the success that Leon had found in his solo career.
By 1969, Leon was poised to make the jump to a solo career. He had established his prowess as a songwriter and as one of the most sought after studio musicians, and had built up a repertoire of material that he was ready to record for himself. He ended up playing a few of his new songs for former Island Records producer, Denny Cordell, who had found success producing records for The Moody Blues (The Magnificent Moodies), as well as hit singles like "A Whiter Shade of Pale" for Procol Harum and "A Little Help From My Friends" for Joe Cocker. Cordell became enamored with Leon and his new material, but even more so with the personality that Leon exuded, which was so hidden when he was in the background.
The two decided to start their own record company, which they named Shelter Records, with their first release being Leon's eponymous 1970 album. The album reached #60 on the Billboard 200, and featured some now classic numbers including "A Song for You," "Delta Lady," "Hummingbird," and "Roll Away the Stone." Shelter Records would go on to release Leon's next 8 albums, which were all co-produced by Leon and Cordell.
Shelter's headquarters was split between Los Angeles and Tulsa, and operated its recording at two historic studios: Sound City in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, and The Church Studio in Tulsa's Pearl District, a now National Historic Landmark which was an Episcopal Church purchased and converted to a recording studio by Leon in 1972.
Shelter was not only a vehicle through which Leon released his own recordings, but also operated as a workshop for developing artists, and became a launching pad for some of the hottest young talent in music. Shelter released records by JJ Cale, Etta James, Freddie King, Phoebe Snow, Dwight Twilley, and many others. It also was the first home of two of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Tom Petty and Heartbreakers released their first two albums under the Shelter Records label, and Shelter would also release Bob Marley's first single, "Duppy Conquerer."
After a falling out with Cordell, Leon left Shelter in 1976 to follow other pursuits. Denny Cordell operated Shelter Records himself for another 5 years, until the label ultimately folded at the conclusion of its distribution deal with Arista.
In the late 1960s, there were few rockstars bigger than Joe Cocker. After massive success with The Grease Band and hit records like "Marjorine," and a cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends," topped off by a legendary performance at Woodstock, Cocker's career was ripe to take off. His management had organized a tour of the U.S. for him, and days before, he was left without a band. His producer at A&M records was Denny Cordell, who happened to simultaneously be opening his own label with Leon Russell. Cordell and Cocker approached Leon about assisting them in assembling a band for the tour, and Leon agreed only if they could do it like no one had done before.
Through his litany of connections to musicians through The Wrecking Crew, Leon was quickly able to gather together an ensemble of over 20 musicians, including three drummers, a backing choir, and Leon as the lead guitarist, pianist, and musical director. Leon also insisted that a camera crew follow the tour, resulting in the Mad Dogs and Englishmen documentary film, which would become one of the essential rock n roll films in depicting what that era of music was really like.
The tour would become legendary, and the ensuing live album would reach #2 on the U.S. Billboard Top 200. Performances of The Band's "The Weight," Traffic's "Feelin' Alright," and The Box Tops' "The Letter" highlighted the setlist that was capped off by a wild and rousing rendition of Leon's own "Delta Lady." Rita Coolidge would take center stage and sing Leon and Bonnie Bramlett's "Superstar," and Leon and Joe would duet on their version of Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country."
The tour served as an opportunity for Leon to showcase his own material, as he would be given stage time to perform "Hummingbird" and "Dixie Lullaby," which were both to be released on his debut album. Mad Dogs and Englishmen introduced Leon to the world, and proved that he was a musical force to be reckoned with. While the tour catapulted both Leon and Cocker into the pinnacles of rock n roll stature, the magnitude served as a rift between the two of them, and they would choose to pursue their careers separately from that point forward. To this day, however, the two will be forever connected as having orchestrated one of the great happenings in the history of rock music. From: https://www.leonrussell.com/about
