Al Russell

Al Russell, aka Stomp Russell, (October 18, 1921 – December 24, 2011) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues songwriter and musician (piano, vocals).

Al Russell was born Allen Wilbert Russell on October 18, 1921, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Isaac and Emily Russell.

He attended Booker T. Washington High School in Columbia, South Carolina. He showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano and singing by the time he was in eighth grade. After his graduation from high school, he toured for a while with his brother, bandleader Isaac "Snookum" Russell. While still in his teens, he performed on radio shows on Columbia's local radio station WCOS.

In 1942, Russell formed the Al "Stomp" Russell Trio with Joel Cowan (vocals and guitar) and William "Doc Basso" Joseph (vocals and bass fiddle). Russell had first met Cowan when he was doing radio shows on WCOS. They performed frequently in the Philadelphia area and in Wildwood, New Jersey, often opening for big-name entertainers, including Harry James and Louis Armstrong. The trio eventually settled in Los Angeles, California.

In April 1944, Russell performed at a wedding in New Jersey with himself on piano, Chris Berg on bass, and Robert McKinney on trombone. They charged $1000 for the wedding, which seems to be a high amount for those days.

In 1945, they recorded "Fla-Ga-La-Pa" and "Drop Another Nickel In The Juke Box" with saxophonist Lucky Thompson, drummer Johnny Otis, and vocalist Timmie Rogers.

In 1947, the trio renamed themselves to Do Ray Me Trio, or sometimes also known as Do Re Me Trio. The group's impresario was Joe Davis between 1948 and 1951.

In 1948, they had a hit with Russell's song "Wrapped Up in a Dream," which rose to the second spot on the R&B charts and stayed there for 19 weeks. 

The trio made several recordings on Columbia, Okeh, Commodore, and Coral Records, including the album The Exciting Do-Ray-Me Trio (1963) on Melbourne records, featuring the drummer Buddy Hawkins and pianist Al Moore. 

The trio also covered many popular songs of the day, including Will Bradley and Ray McKinley's "Down the Road a Piece", Bert Lown and His Hotel Biltmore Orchestra's "I'm Yours", Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra's "Say It Isn't So", Billy Murray's ("Shy-Ann"), and songs by Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Desmond, Big John Greer, Tony Pastor, Art Tatum, and Claude Thornhill.

After the death of his bandmates, Russell performed at Vincent's Restaurant in West Chester, Pennsylvania until 2009, when the place closes.

Russell was also successful as a songwriter; his song A.B.C. Boogie was released in 1954 by Bill Haley & His Comets as the B-side of their hit album Shake, Rattle, and Roll.

Russell married Bessie Hawkins on June 9, 1946. They had met at one of Russell's performances at the Rossonian Hotel in Denver, Colorado.

They had two daughters, Melanie Russell and Lisa Phillips.

Russell died on December 24, 2011, at a nursing home in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, at the age of 90.