Deeper Digs: Russ Kunkel

Christian and Russ Kunkel sit down to go over a long illustrious career as first call session drummer, road dog and being the heartbeat of the Immediate Family Band!

Famous drummer Russell Kunkel, better known as Russ, has been a part of the music world for more than two memorable decades. Serving as drummer, and sometimes even as producer, Kunkel has appeared and performed with top musical artists in almost every genre and style known to fans, including Sydney Forest, Stevie Nicks, Wynonna Judd, Aaron Neville, Dan Fogelberg, James Taylor, the Bee Gees, Dolly Parton, Jimmy Buffet, B. B. King, Bob Seger, Carly Simon, and many, many others. Kunkel has also been featured in, and been on the cover of, magazines such as Modern Drummer.

Kunkel was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but by the age of nine he moved to Southern California. There, he was part of an orchestra at the local elementary school. Prior to moving, he was influenced by his brother and the song "Wipe Out" to play drums. During his high school years he lived in Long Beach, California. He played for approximately six different bands, including the Barons, and appeared at many sock hops and high school dances, playing surf music and Beatles songs. In his last two years of high school he was a jazz drummer and later worked for John Stewart and his band the Kingston Trio.

In early 1970s, while rehearsing for the upcoming tour, he met Chris Darrow, a former player of John Stewart's, who was a friend of Peter Asher, and together along with James Taylor and bassist Leland Sklar they had put out an album. Later on, guitarist Danny Kortchmar came to them from The Flying Machine along with keyboardist Craig Doerge and together, the four of them, had formed a band called The Section. The group existed between 1972 and 1977, during which time they had recorded three albums. 

Three years later, Kunkel participated in the Carly Simon's song "Waterfall" and played a part in the James Taylor's album Gorilla in a song "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)". In 1977 during the recording of Jackson Browne's Running on Empty album, Kunkel played on Pearl and North Drum sets, and went on a tour to promote the album. During the same year, Kunkel played hi-hat on the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album CSN. A year later, he worked with Warren Zevon on Excitable Boy as part of the Section.

In 1980 during his tour with Jackson Browne to promote his album Hold Out, he played a tom, a floor tom, a bass drum, a snare drum, and two cymbals. During those years, he also was a drummer for the Lawyers In Love album where he played in a song "Say It Isn’t True". In 1980s album Mad Love by Linda Ronstadt, Kunkel along with Waddy Wachtel and Danny Kortchmar performed in the songs "How Do I Make You" and "Mad Love".

In 1980, Kunkel played in Linda Ronstadt's band for a concert that was shown on HBO, along with the guitarists Kenny Edwards and Danny Kortchmar, bassist Bob Glaub, keyboardist Billy Payne, pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, and backing vocalist Wendy Waldman. 

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