Russell Mael
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Russell Mael | |
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![]() Russell Mael on stage with FFS in August 2015
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Background information | |
Birth name | Russell Craig Mael[1] |
Born | Los Angeles, California, United States |
October 5, 1948
Genres | Rock, pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, producer, recording engineer, director |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1968–present |
Labels | Bearsville, Warner Bros., Island, Atlantic, Curb, Virgin, CBS, Elektra, RCA, Roadrunner, Lil' Beethoven Records |
Associated acts | Halfnelson, Sparks, FFS, Franz Ferdinand |
Website | www.allsparks.com |
Russell Craig Mael (born October 5, 1948 in Santa Monica, California)[2][3] is an American singer, songwriter and actor who, with his elder brother Ron, formed the band Sparks in 1971, which was renamed from Halfnelson. He is also the co-founder of Lil' Beethoven Records.
Biography
Early life
The Mael brothers grew up in Pacific Palisades - a relatively affluent suburb of Los Angeles - with their father, Meyer Mael (of Russian and Austrian Jewish descent),[4][5] who was a graphic designer and caricaturist for the Hollywood Citizen-News,[6][7] and their mother, Miriam (née Moskowitz), a librarian.[8] After being educated at Palisades High School (where Russell, in the "Class of '65" alongside Michael Medved and David Wallechinsky, played as quarterback for the Palisades High School Dolphins), both brothers enrolled at UCLA;[9] Ron began a course in Cinema and Graphic Arts in 1963 while Russell studied Theater Arts and Filmmaking between 1966-1968.[10]
Sparks
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Well known for his wide vocal range, Russell's most notable vocal trait is a far-reaching falsetto, especially evident on songs such as "Equator" from Sparks' Kimono My House album.[citation needed] He is also known for his flamboyant and hyperactive stage presence.
He has recorded 22 albums with his band, Sparks.[11] The band has a cult following around the world and are best known for the song "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" which reached number 2 in the U.K. Singles Chart.[12]
The pair appear as themselves in the 1977 disaster film Rollercoaster, performing live. They also appeared in episode twenty-two of season six of the Gilmore Girls.
Sparks is currently (2015) collaborating with the Scottish group Franz Ferdinand under the identity FFS. One of their first tracks is entitled "Collaborations don't work". Other tracks will be reinterpretations of existing Sparks compositions. The supergroup was interviewed on BBC Radio 6 on April 27, 2015 and announced they would be appearing on "Live with Jools Holland" on April 30th 2015 and are to appear at Glastonbury Festival this summer. Information can be found on their website FFSmusic.com
References
- ↑ California Birth Index, 1905 - 1995, [1] (Birth Date: May 10, 1948, County of Birth: Los Angeles, Mother's Maiden Name: Moskowski)
- ↑ Family Tree Legends
- ↑ Russell Mael at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. [The author is a cousin of Russell and Ron; her father, Alvin, is listed as being Meyer's brother on the 1940 census]
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External links
- Use mdy dates from August 2014
- Articles with hCards
- Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011
- 1948 births
- Living people
- American male singers
- American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
- American people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Songwriters from California
- Musicians from Santa Monica, California
- Sparks (band) members
- Countertenors
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni