Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music
RUSSELL, Catherine
(
b 20 September 1956, NYC) Singer, the daughter of bandleader
Luis Russell and his second wife,
Carline Ray Russell. After years of radio and TV jingle work and of recording and touring the world singing backup with artists as diverse as Paul Simon, David Bowie, Steely Dan, Cyndi Lauper, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, Levon Helm and Rosanne Cash, Catherine suddenly went solo as a fine singer of America's best songs. Recording for Harmonia Mundi's World Village label, her albums have been
Cat (2006),
Sentimental Streak (2008),
Inside This Heart Of Mine (2010),
Strictly Romancin' (2012), and
Harlem On My Mind 2016, the latter compiling tunes sung by the stars of the Apollo Theater. One of her tracks was heard in an HBO series
Boardwalk Empire and on a soundtrack album, earning her a Grammy. She has appeared at festivals and won honors all over the world, and there was an interview/ performance with Terry Gross on NPR, but nothing compares with the experience of hearing her for the first time: half a century of hype and noise goes away and her warm, swinging alto reminds you why you love music so much.