Pixies Frontman Explains Leon Russell Influence ::Pixies News ::antiMusic.com

Pixies Frontman Explains Leon Russell Influence

07/07/2014
. (Classic Rock) Pixies frontman Black Francis says crooner Leon Russell is the biggest influence on his singing style. Francis - AKA Frank Black - is known for his impressive screams, but it is Russell's "free and loose" style that shapes his voice for the most part.

Francis tells the Guardian: "As a teenager in the late 70s I wasn't really interested in contemporary pop music or punk-rock, I was listening to stuff from 10 years earlier. This was a big record for me. Sometimes when I'm singing, I realise there's a certain kind of vocalising I do that takes its cue from Leon Russell.

"He sang in a southern accent but it was very blown-out and exaggerated, very free and loose. I got this record as a gift for playing in the baseball team at junior high. I loathed sports but there weren't enough people to complete the team. So the coach said, 'Have as many records as you want, just please be on the baseball team.' I was like, 'All right I'll do it'." more on this story

Classic Rock Magazine is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.
Copyright Classic Rock Magazine- Excerpted here with permission.