Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame To Honor Leon Russell

NewsOn6.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced Wednesday that Tulsa native, Leon Russell is this year's recipient of the Award for Musical Excellence.

The 26th annual ceremony will take place on Monday, March 14, 2011, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

In the announcement, the foundation said Russell is a legend.

"Leon Russell has been called a rock and roll Renaissance man, and indeed there is little that this piano-playing legend from Oklahoma hasn't done. He was a busy session musician in Los Angeles in the 1960s, playing on countless records, including many of Phil Spector's greatest productions and hits by the Byrds, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Gary Lewis and the Playboys, as well as George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh benefit in 1971."

The 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by more than 500 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

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