Leon Russell’s ‘Signature Songs’ Set for Re-Issue

Leon Russell’s long-out-of-print 2001 release Signature Songs will soon be available once again.

A collection of the famed songsmith’s reinvented classics, Signature Songs features stripped-down versions and unique re-imaginings of several of the hits throughout his 60-year career. The genre-defying composer made songs that became standards. Tracks like “A Song For You,” “Tight Rope,” “Stranger In A Strange Land,” “The Masquerade,” and “Lady Blue” can soon be revisited on Signature Songs.

Signature Songs stands out as a vivid reminder of the Rock & Roll and Songwriters’ Hall of Famer’s talent, a musical genius that has intersected with fellow icons such as Elton John, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Delaney and Bonnie, Willie Nelson, J.J. Cale, Bob Marley, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bonnie Raitt, and many more.

Re-issued by the George Harrison-founded label Dark Horse Records, Signature Songs will be available on March 17 in multiple digital and physical formats, including a first-time vinyl edition.

In other Russell news, the artist’s life and legacy have been committed to a forthcoming page-turner. Titled Leon Russell: The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History, the biography will be a definitive guide through the man, the myth, and the music.

The biography was written by author-musician Bill Janovitz and is told with the support of Russell’s estate. The nearly 600-page book defines the legendary composer as “a genre-defying, multi-talented artist whose wildly diverse body of work has affirmed him as a one-of-a-kind Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and truly mythical figure in American music.”

Signature Songs Track List:

1. “A Song for You”
2. “One More Love Song”
3. “Tight Rope”
4. “Stranger in a Strange Land”
5. “Hummingbird”
6. “Back to the Island”
7. “Out in the Woods”
8. “Lady Blue”
9. “Delta Lady”
10. “Magic Mirror”
11. “This Masquerade”

Photo by Robert Knight Archive/Redferns