Woodstock on the Water Set for August 7th There Was a Legend in the Neighborhood ….We Never Even Knew It!
The
Pensacola Birthday Bash, dubbed Woodstock on the Water and located in Lawhead
Hollow, now more readily recognized by many as Hippie Hollow or Leon Russell
Cove, is set for Saturday August 7th. The event also embraces the Grand Lake
legend of Leon Russell, always brings back some distant memories. Having
purchased our place in 1976 on Grays Hollow, which is and was known as Dripping
Springs by most, I had no idea a rock star icon was just a few hundred yards
away. After Leon had left the lake, in 1981 we believe, the stories started to
surface, at least for me, about his over ten year presence here on the pond.
Russell,
a Tulsan, had grown tired of the fast pace and had purchased an eight acre
tract of land and announced plans to spend over a half million dollars
constructing a new house, state of the art recording studio and refurbishing
two existing cabins on the property. After completion of the project, his guest
list read like a who's who of the recording industry. People like Bob Dylan,
Bob Seger, J.J. Cale, Freddy King, George Harrison and the Gap Band were just a
few of regulars who not only relaxed there, but used the facilities to record
and produce as well.
Some
of the locals were more attuned to what was going on than yours truly and
watched from afar as Leon's presence on Grand Lake grew. And people in the
industry, like the late George Bingham, would certainly be able to share a tale
or two, but there are vivid memories from the living as well.
Long-time
Lawhead Hollow resident Barbara Haver, who is our Grand Lake historian of
record, says, "My kids were little in the late seventies and Russell would
have his son brought over by power boat to play with my kids. Back in those
days there was a lot of boat traffic coming and going to his place."
Russell
had a generous side as documented in an article published in the Tulsa World in
1974 which says in part, "The generosity of rock star Leon Russell will
provide a summer of fun and education for some 30 to 40 boys who live at the
Tulsa Boys Home. Rick Hill, personal aide to Russell, offered the palatial
Grand Lake retreat of the singer-pianist-guitar-composer to a director of the Tulsa
Boys Home for use by the boys throughout the summer."
The
boys were to be in charge of yard work and maintenance, but received
instructions on swimming, water skiing and water and boat safety. Thanks to
current property owner Rick Huskey, we were told of a current Grand Laker who
participated that summer. Tony Mills is widely known as trader of sorts with
guitar and Harley Davidson collections and being in the pawn shop business in
the Tulsa area for many years. Tony was more than willing to share some of his
memories from days gone by.
Mills
recollects, "Yeah, we'd work during the day and late in the afternoons we
would swim, water ski and do a lot of fun activities that kids like us would
have never had the opportunity to enjoy. I remember what at the time seemed
like a huge cabin cruiser. Not all the boys got to come…it was a competition
based on good behavior to see who got to go."
During
our conversation with Tony, we learned another Grand Laker, Darrell Hicks, was
employed by the Boys Home and directly supervised Mills on a daily basis as a
counselor. Hicks says, "I was going to Tulsa Junior College during the
days and supervising one of the dorms early in the morning and at night. It was
perfect for a college student. Did I give Tony any licks? Don't really recall,
but probably so"
The
collaboration of a birthday celebration for the completion of the Pensacola Dam
and recognizing the influence of Leon Russell on Grand Lake came about
innocently enough from a phone call regarding the possibility of renaming
Lawhead Hollow to recognize Leon in some way. Long-time Grand Laker and current
GRDA board member Pete Churchwell initiated the idea. Many years ago, while
fishing near the Russell compound, Pete had stumbled on to some musicians just
jamming on the Russell lakeside deck.
Pete
told me during the phone call, "I was fishing when I started hearing music
from further down in the cove. When I got closer, I realized it was George
Harrison and J.J. Cale. I abandoned fishing and enjoyed my own personal concert.
That's how I discovered Leon's presence on Grand Lake."
Pete's
idea was to change the official name of the cove to include, in some way, the
Russell name, but no one is real sure how the coves even were named to begin
with….probably from the dominant landowner, but who knows for sure. Pete ran it
by the GRDA legal department…they had no problem with it, but weren't sure how
it would be accomplished. Would the Russell family need to be consulted? Lots
of variables here and as the United States congress is discovering, change
doesn't come easily.
In
short, come August 7th from 1-5pm we will be celebrating the completion of the
greatest construction project ever undertaken in Oklahoma and presence of a
rock star icon on Grand Lake and his impact. Some say Hippie Hollow, others may
call it Leon Russell Cove, while most maps will continue to proclaim it Lawhead
Hollow, but we all know we will call it whatever we want to.
Our
next historic blog will detail how a frustrated musician and now the owner of
the formerly Russell property, had to become a chiropractor to support his love
of music. Tulsan Rick Husky has a few stories of his own about the property,
including how the previous owner, Leon Russell performed for Husky and
approximately 30 of his friends at Husky's 40th birthday party.
See
Ya' Around the Pond!!
