Born in Plainfield, NJ, Russ eventually received a BS from New Jersey City University and a graduate degree from Kean University for
his chosen profession, a medical audio-visual specialist.
His family was very musical; his mother sang, every male, and some
ladies, all played the piano. He was doomed. He played for school assemblies and church services. Eventually, he
was drafted into the Army and became the Chaplain’s Assistant and, naturally, played the organ for his services.
Shortly after
he and his wife, Barbara Ann, moved to Sun City in 1997, he met Pete Sencevicky who introduced him to Dixieland. He was doomed
once again! He also likes to listen to jazz and standards and enjoys playing cocktail music and “cornball stuff”.
Working with
the DJSLC, he says, “keeps the cobwebs at bay and improves my reading abilities.”