The Early Years
Russell was born December 23, 1949 (the year of the earth ox) to Richard M. Beesley and Geneve Hicklooper Beesley in Salt Lake City, Utah and is the oldest of 8 children. I was raised a Mormon until I left home. We moved to Santa Cruz, California when I was in grade school and so that was where I spent my formative years. But then, when I was a senior in High School my parents moved the family to Kanab, Utah (to escape the Liberal influence that the University of California at Santa Cruz was bringing in) to get back to Zion!! Lived in Kanab a year and then I was GONE. Back to California the land of milk and honey, good beaches, lots of sun, and good Pot.
My College Years
My first college was a Disaster. I went to Brigham Young University and was expelled. Moved to Pomona, California where I attended Mt. San Antonio Jr. College for a few semesters to get my grades up and then got admitted to Pomona College located in Claremont, CA, one of the Claremont Colleges, as a Special Student and there I studied music and eventually got a B.A. in 1974. Continuing on I went to Mills College in Oakland, California (a girls school!) and got a Masters Degree in Music Composition in 1976. Then it was back to Claremont where I'd try my luck in the music business for the next 10 years without much success.