Russ Ballard & His All Star Band

A rare artist who leaves the audience spellbound; he can do magic. Over the years, Russ Ballard has become a National Treasure and a Grammy-nominated artist. When Russ Ballard hits the stage, it promises to be far more than a concert, but an encounter with one of Britain’s most talented and treasured songwriters in the rock and pop world. He even wrote “The Lost City” for The Shadows when he was 14 years old! Russ Ballard is touring in 2027, having recently released a new double CD “Songs from the Warehouse” which includes some amazing new material as well as versions of the many hits written for other artists. Russ’s All-Star Band features Paul Bond (Lead guitar, b/vocals), producer, engineer, lecturer, best known for his current guitar work with Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds and guitar tech with Ozzy Osbourne; P.J. Phillips (Bass, b/vocals), with over 8 years with international superstar violin virtuoso Vanessa Mae touring the world. From his early years, together with long-time close friend drummer Bob Henrit, playing lead guitar with Adam Faith’s backing band, The Roulettes, and discovering Sandie Shaw on the way, he and Bob joined Unit 4 + 2 in 1967, leading to a Number 1 hit “Concrete & Clay”. Russ was poached to join Rod Argent’s newly evolving post-Zombies band Argent, as vocalist and lead guitarist. After several successful years, including their monster hit “Hold Your Head Up” and, of course “, God Gave Rock And Roll To You” (written by Ballard), the band decided to split, and Bob, together with bass player Jim Rodford, joined a latter-day version of The Kinks. This is when Russ really came into his own as a solo artist and songwriter. Having built on his success, after writing several hit songs for Argent, Russ then decided to pursue a solo and songwriting career which is still ongoing with numerous album releases under his own name (Remember “Voices” and “In The Night” from Miami Vice) and also with a host of luminaries including Roger Daltrey, Leo Sayer, Elkie Brooks, America and many more. Russ’s compositions are far too numerous to list, but a small selection which will be featured in the live show include Since You’ve Been Gone (Rainbow), So You Win Again (Hot Chocolate), New York Groove (Ace Frehley (Kiss)). The accolades are endless, and recent reviews have been unanimous in their praise. This event is a fundraiser for community radio station Phonic FM. Venue: Auditorium, Exeter Phoenix