JALC presents JazzStories—Catherine Russell

The daughter of two successful musicians—long-time Louis Armstrong musical director Luis Russell and Carline Ray, a member of the pioneering all-female integrated band the International Sweethearts of Rhythm—Catherine Russell had been best-known for her work as a backup singer for such artists as David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne and many more. In 2006 she stepped into the spotlight herself, recording the first of four albums for the World Village/Harmonia Mundi label. Russell talks about the challenge of living up to her parents’ achievements, growing up in a house full of music, becoming a professional musician, and developing her own artistic voice in this interview with JALC’s David Goren.