Was there anyone Leon did NOT work with? I think not. This time it was Aretha Franklin.

Check out this treasure from 1964 when Leon Russell was the featured house pianist for the TV show, Shindig.

This time, he’s right there with Aretha Franklin, and once again, this is Leon with short hair, no beard, and no sunglasses, but he’s still and always the Master of Space and TIme.

The two shared a mutual professional history: Leon Russell played piano on early sessions for Franklin at Columbia Records (including a string arrangement of “Am I Blue?”), and Franklin later recorded a renowned cover of Russell’s classic ballad, “A Song for You”.

Before the collaboration with Aretha on Shindig, word got around about the skinny kid from Oklahoma who played the piano like nobody else, and producers and arrangers booked him for their sessions as soon as he turned twenty-one and was able to join the union. Among them was Robert Mersey who had Russell on several, including this pair of songs for Aretha Franklin in 1963. Thanks to Leon Russell Superstar in a Masquerade