Russ Ballard

About the show

Russ Ballard’s music career began remarkably early. At just 14, he wrote a tune that was recorded by The Shadows and appeared on their 1964 album The Sound of The Shadows. He went on to become one of rock’s most accomplished songwriters, penning classics such as “Since You Been Gone” (Rainbow), “God Gave Rock ’n’ Roll to You” (Argent and Kiss), “So You Win Again” (Hot Chocolate), and “New York Groove” (Hello and Ace Frehley), among many others. As a performer, Ballard first found fame with The Roulettes, originally Adam Faith’s backing band in the 1960s. After a period with Unit 4 + 2, he became frontman of Argent in the early 1970s. Following his departure from the band, he went on to build a long and successful solo career. His debut solo album, Russ Ballard, showcased his extraordinary musicianship, with Ballard playing all the instruments himself. He repeated this feat on America’s recording of his song “You Can Do Magic”, performing everything except the strings.