I possess an endless fascination and curiosity about how someone can change so drastically from being an anonymous, quiet, shy, piano player behind the scenes on hundreds of songs — to the persona that emerged and developed into the magical Master of Space and Time, Leon Russell.

I wish I could have asked him how it happened, how he shifted from one to the other, but sadly, I’ll never get the chance, so I continue to marvel at his drastic transformation.

In 1959, he was still Claude Russell Bridges; he hadn’t yet metamorphosed into the uber cool bearded musician with long hair and those iconic sunglasses, but the talent was there. Long before he became Leon Russell and had massively successful career as a solo artist, he was still a musical genius.

Leon was only about fourteen when he formed The Starlighters in the mid-1950s. He and the other band members attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This is a photo of the Starlighters at the Tropicana Club, 1959. Left to right: Leo Feathers, Chuck Blackwell, Ron Ryan, Johnny Williams, and Russell Bridges wearing glasses.

A promoter at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa hired the Starlighters to back Jerry Lee Lewis at an upcoming show.

After the Starlighters’ first warm-up set, Lewis came up onto the bandstand, pointed at seventeen-year-old Leon, and declared, ”I’m not gonna set down at that piano. He plays a lot better piano than I do!” Lewis immediately hired the band to back him on a tour. (Courtesy of the OKPOP Museum)

Leon produced this record when he was seventeen. I’m blown away by his piano mastery; he was definitely destined for greatness.

Swanee River, too.