Jack Russell, the Raw Silken co-founder and lead singer of the glam metal band Great White, died on Thursday at the age of 63. Confirmed On the musician’s social media. In July, singer Louis Bodi shared a statement about his struggles with dementia and multiple system atrophy.
On July 17, Russell wrote on Instagram, “I couldn’t have done as much as I wanted and as much as you deserve. Thank you for letting me live my dreams. You make my life amazing.
Great White’s Ian Hunter’s “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” and hair metal had that miraculous career high up in the 1980s with several platinum albums. In 2003, Russell and his band were at the center of tragedy when their pyrotechnics-filled performance at the tiny Station nightclub in Rhode Island set the venue on fire, killing 100 and injuring 230. Among the victims was Great White guitarist Ty Langley, who died in the fire.
Guitarist and Great White co-founder Mark Kendall posted his condolences on Instagram after news of Russell’s death broke. Kendall declared his one-time partner “one of rock’s greatest champions” with an “incredible voice that will live on forever”.
“What do you say about someone who has been by your side on such an amazing journey, the good and the bad?” The Instagram post read. “We want to let music fill the voids. All those wonderful years together will be close to our hearts. Many shows, many miles, and maximum rock – it was a privilege and a pleasure to share the stage with him. In the studio, Jack was amazing. He always came ready for work. And worked hard, Jack stayed until he got the best performance for each song. He brought the same excellence in every show. The consistency of his live performances has always been unmatched.
Russell was born in Montebello, California on December 5, 1960, and lent his smooth and salty vocals to several high school rock bands before meeting guitarist Kendall in 1977. The rising metal duo went by band monikers like Highway and Livewire. That was the platinum-haired guitarist’s nickname until Kendall and (then) new band manager Alan Niven changed the band’s name to Great White.
Before meeting Niven, Russell and Kendall’s band plans were thwarted, and in 1979, a distraught Russell was arrested for shooting a waitress alive during an attempted robbery. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. Although Kendall briefly worked with other lead singers, the guitarist reunited with Russell; The singer was released from prison after an 18-month sentence.
By 1982, Russell and Kendall teamed up with drummer Gary Holland and bassist Lorne Black to record and release “Out of the Night” on Niven’s independent label Ageon. After Niven convinced Los Angeles radio station KMET to add Great White to its playlist, other LA stations followed suit. The band became the toast of the still-burgeoning hair metal scene to like-minded acts like Whitesnake, Token and David Lee Roth’s solo band.
Signed to Capitol/EMI, the band picked up momentum and sales with its 1987 album “Once Bitten” (with singles like “Rock Me” and “Save Your Love”) and its studio follow-up “Two Shy.” 1989), which featured signature Great White hits such as “The Angel Song” and “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”. In the early 1990s, the glory of hair metal took a backseat to Nirvana, Pearl Jam and grunge. Great White left Capital for labels like Zoo. By 2000, Kendall announced his retirement from Great White. Following Kendall’s breakup, several members left the band entirely. After a brief signing with Columbia Records in 2001, Russell’s father died and the singer disbanded what was left of Great White.
Although Russell recorded a few quick solo albums, such as “Shelter Me” (1996) and “For You” (2002), singer and guitarist Kendall reformed their band under the name Jack Russell’s Great White. By 2003, all their dreams of renewed success were put on hold. During a performance at Station Nightclub, the fire broke out when sparks from the band’s pyrotechnics ignited unapproved foam soundproofing installed on the walls and ceiling surrounding the stage. After this tragedy, in 2008, Jack Russell Turing Inc. It agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and victims’ relatives.
Since that time, there have been several reunions of Great White, including Russell, Kendall and a new band album, “Rising”, from 2006 to 2009. But, in 2010, Russell had to go through a bowel perforation surgery; During his recovery he was replaced by a handful of singers such as Warrant’s Johnny Lane and XYZ’s Terry Ailes. From there, beginning in 2012, Russell recreated Jack Russell’s Great White—only this time, confusing it with Kendall’s Great White, which resulted in a 2013 federal court settlement in which Russell transferred his rights to the “Great White” name. Kendall and co.
In addition to continuing to play live until his retirement in 2024, Russell wrote his autobiography, “The True Tale of Mista Bone,” recording singles such as 2014’s “Hard Hobbit” and 2017’s “He Saw It Comein'” from Jack Russell’s Great White debut album. : A Rock + Roll Narrative” with author KL Doty for a summer 2024 release.
According to his Instagram, “Jack Russell passed peacefully in the presence of his wife Heather Ann Russell, son Matthew Hucko, cousin Naomi Brashers Barber and dear friends Billy and Cheryl Pavelczyk.”
Russell is survived by his wife, Heather Ann Kramer. The two got married in 2011. A public memorial will be announced at a later date.
