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Andy Russell (born Andrés Rábago;〔 September 16, 1919 – April 16, 1992) was an American popular vocalist, specializing in traditional pop and Latin music. He sold 8 million records in the 1940s to early 1950s singing in a romantic, baritone voice in his trademark bilingual English and Spanish style.〔 He had chart-busters, such as "Bésame Mucho," "Amor," "What a Diff'rence a Day Made," "Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)," "Without You," and "The Anniversary Waltz." He also performed on many radio programs, most notably Your Hit Parade, in several movies, and on television. Later, he traveled to Mexico where he was the star of radio, television, motion pictures, records, and nightclubs. He also toured extensively throughout Latin America, Cuba, Portugal, and Spain〔 and was the host of the television variety program ''El Show de Andy Russell'' in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1956 to 1965, thus achieving international popularity and tremendous success during this period.〔 Upon returning to the United States, he continued to record music, at which point his 1967 single "It's Such a Pretty World Today" was number one for 9 weeks on Billboard Magazine's Easy Listening Chart. During the 1970s and 1980s, he continued to perform, occasionally recording new records and making appearances on television. He received international accolades and awards, the most notable of which was being recognized as a trailblazer who not only introduced U.S. audiences to popular songs sung in English and Spanish but also influenced later performers--Hispanic and non-Hispanic—to sing bilingually, as well.〔〔〔 Regrettably, today, Russell has been virtually forgotten and his enormous contributions as the first American Latino, bilingual singer who performed on three continents〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-ANDY-RUSSELL-GARDEN-BAR-MIYAKO-HOTEL-SAN-FRANCISCO-DONALD-BLUM-PRESS-PHOTO-/221553663616?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3395a09e80 )〕 over a span of almost 50 years are hardly discussed by the media or scholars and much less credited by the performers who succeeded him. == Early life == Russell was born on September 16, 1919 (on Mexican Independence Day) as Andrés Rábago〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VLDB-FRN )〕 in Boyle Heights, at the time, an ethnically integrated, middle-class neighborhood in the eastern section of Los Angeles.〔 He was the second youngest of ten children (eight boys, two girls) 〔 born to Mexican immigrant parents, Rafael Rábago and Vicenta (née Pérez),〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XC8Z-3GB )〕 who had immigrated to United States in 1902 from the Mexican states of Durango and Chihuahua, where each had been born, respectively.〔 His father was employed as an extra by Hollywood studios, where he earned considerable wages, while his mother was a housewife, who was devoted to her family.〔 As a child, he loved listening to American popular music and Big Band, such as Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and Tommy Dorsey. One of his earliest memories was hiding behind the family radio and pretending to be his favorite singer, Dick Powell.〔 He also idolized crooners Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. His enthusiasm was summed up in this article from 1945: "As a kid on Los Angeles' east side, Andy went wild over popular music. He knew all the hit tunes and was the neighborhood authority on the style and record of every name band leader in the country." 〔 As a 12-year-old boy, he attended elementary school and succeeded his older brothers as a news vendor at a corner in downtown L.A. He grew up in a bilingual home,〔 hearing and talking Spanish with his parents, while talking in English with his brothers and sisters, and with people outside of the home. In addition, as is the case with most families, there appeared to have been a generational and cultural gap between the American-born Russell and his Mexican-born parents. One way in which this dynamic manifested itself was along the intersection of language and music: While he and his brothers and sisters enjoyed listening to American music, his parents enjoyed listening to Mexican music, in particular, mariachi. At this young and impressionable age, Russell did not understand the music of Mexico and preferred to listen to Big Band, which was the all the rage among his friends. In the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Russell's father, Rafael, is listed as an English speaker and his mother, Vicenta, as a Spanish speaker. This is understandable since the former worked outside of the home and interacted with English speakers at his job, while the latter stayed home and spoke mainly Spanish. For his part, Russell felt that his command of the Spanish language, at the time, was "very bad," and he felt ashamed about speaking Spanish, to the point of asking his parents to speak to him in English.〔 In truth, Russell's early family life was reflective of the immigrant experience that entailed adapting to a new language and culture, while trying to maintain the old. Oftentimes, the integration of the two can be challenging, to say the least. To illustrate, Russell was born and educated in Los Angeles. He was taught English in school, and his peer groups spoke to him in English. Plus, the big band music he loved to listen to was in English. Furthermore, he had neither been born in or visited Mexico and had never formally studied Spanish. Now imagine his frustration when being asked to speak Spanish and understand all things Mexican at such a young age by parents who themselves were expected to speak English and know all things American! Yet, despite these growing pains, Russell steadfastly maintained "pride in his 100% Mexican ethnicity."〔 At any rate, Russell was determined to follow in the footsteps of his idols. In 1935, as a 15-year-old student in junior high school, he began his career as an up-and-coming teenage idol by singing with a local swing band headed by don Ramón Cruz.〔 This band was composed mainly of Mexican and Mexican American musicians and played primarily in East Los Angeles. He also sang with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and other groups, until one day he was told that he also would have to play an instrument to stay with the band. Russell recalled wistfully how he dealt with this curious dilemma: Russell also took drum lessons for 50 cents a lesson at the Phillips Music Company on Brooklyn Avenue (now Avenida César Chávez) in Boyle Heights. This neighborhood music store was owned by William Phillips, a Jewish-American Navy veteran, drummer, and musician. In truth, it "was more than a music store or a record shop; it was a space for democracy where diverse urban communities gathered to explore cultural traditions and invent contemporary musical languages."〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://phillipsmusiccompany.tumblr.com/ )〕 As such, this was one of the places where Russell not only began to learn to keep time but also train his ear in the Latin American beats and rhythms (bolero, conga, mambo, etc.) which were an essential part of the Latin American standards he would later sing so masterfully. After taking his lessons, Russell would also practice in the basement of his house, and "after only three weeks of practice...he became a proficient, self-taught drummer."〔 Also, in his spare time, he worked part-time by driving an optical-company truck. Between calls, he "drove the other employees nuts" practicing with his drumsticks on a rubber pad in the corridor.〔 On an interesting side-note, Stella Cruz, the sister of bandleader don Ramón Cruz, recalled in a YouTube video that Russell, as a child, had contracted polio. He had some paralysis in his left arm and leg. When this came to the attention of don Ramón Cruz, he taught Russell to play the bass drum in order to strengthen those muscles. This was probably Russell's initial exposure to the instrument.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqL1bt-Q6vA )〕 Later, Russell attended Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights, where he continued his musical education. He was a member of the ROTC marching band, the jazz band, and the high school symphony orchestra. He played at high school football games, parades, and dances. And under the instruction of Mr. Harry Gruppengetter, the music teacher, he learned to read music. 〔 He also enjoyed playing handball and boxing. Russell recalled that his high school experience was positive, and that he did not feel discrimination: "In those days, I was just one of the guys. We had Russian people, we had Jewish kids, we had Mexican kids, we had the blacks, we never noticed things like that... I'm a very cocky little Mexican kid from the East Side, and I never had those feelings. I always feel that it's up to the person."〔 Thus, in 1939 when Russell discovered that Gus Arnheim, a popular and influential band leader, was looking for a drummer, he left high school the summer before his senior year to try and join his band.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Andy Russell (singer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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