News

Music Sales Corporation has acquired the publishing rights to Harrison Music, containing the catalogue of celebrated lyricist/composer Bob Russell.  An ASCAP Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Russell’s songwriting career saw him work with many high profile collaborators including Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, and Carl Sigman. Carl Sigman’s Major Songs catalog was acquired by Music Sales in 2006.  This means that a number of Russell-Sigman standards, including “Crazy He Calls Me,” “Ballerina” (a/k/a “Dance Ballerina Dance”) and “Come In Out Of The Rain,” are now under the same roof for the first time.

Quite an array of artists has recorded Russell songs, from the likes of Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday to Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart.  Just a few highlights in the catalog are “He Ain’t Heavy... He’s My Brother,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me,” “Blue Gardenia,” “No Other Love,” “Circus,” “You Came a Long Way from St. Louis,” “I Didn’t Know About You” and “Carnival.”

The announcement was jointly made by Music Sales President Barrie Edwards and Molly Hyman, President of Harrison Music Corp.  Edwards noted, “This deal brings us a portfolio of magnificent, classic songs by a legendary writer. It marks another important step in our program to acquire catalogues of significance and we have the utmost confidence that we’ll bring new focus to Bob Russell’s brilliant songs.”  Hyman commented, “Music Sales’ intention of creating new masters for licensing opportunities and the company’s international reach made this a very compelling situation for us.  We’re delighted that Bob’s wonderful legacy - his great songs - will find new life in a new century.” 

 Though known primarily as a lyricist, Russell was adept at musical composition, a fact underscored by his having written entire scores for such films as Reach For Glory and Jack and the Beanstalk. He wrote title songs for such films as The Girl Most Likely, Blue Gardenia and Matter of Who and was nominated for an Academy Award with collaborator Quincy Jones for Best Original Song in 1968 for “The Eyes of Love” from Banning and, again, in 1969 for the title song from For the Love of Ivy.