Kelsey "Cotton" Russell Interview With Paige Roberts - January 25, 2019

Among Kelsey “Cotton” Russell’s influences are: Lynard Skynard, Jerry Reed and The Eagles, but he accredits his father, (Perry Russell) as his primary example. Perry was an accomplished singer and guitar player who played locally around North Mississippi.  When Kelsey was nine, his dad walked into the house and gave him a  60s Fender Musicmaster bass guitar.  “He handed it to me and said, ‘Here, it can’t be that hard.” I thumped around on it and learned a couple of tunes fairly quickly- and by the age of 12, I was playing with Dad and his group every time they tuned up. Around that same time, Dad bought me a drum kit and I learned how to play it, filling in as their drummer and I began playing guitar with them.  My dad always urged me to sing, but I never sang a note in front of him.  I was too ashamed to sing in front of someone who I considered to be vocal royalty, so I just played my instruments and kept quiet.

 In 2000, Dad unexpectedly died from a massive heart attack. After some time, I decided to continue playing in the band who were now my friends. One night during a gig  I sang to honor my dad. From that point forward, I was a singer.  Father's Day, 2012, I wrote “My Old Man” and people began to take notice. 

In 2017, a friend of Kelsey’s named Ricky Swindle was hosting  The Local Yokels Show, and he was invited to come play a few songs. "After playing a couple of cover tunes, I sat down behind the microphone and talked about my dad". I played My Old Man and the response was fantastic. I began seriously writing and playing songs just to see what happened. I want to thank my wife Carrie, and my three kids,and my mother for their support. They have helped me embrace my talent and become comfortable sharing it. Without my family and my dad, there would be no music.