American Jazz Guitarist, Russell Malone’s ‘sudden’ and ‘mysterious’ death has created havoc within the music world. Malone had a sensational career playing guitar with the infamous, Jimmy Smith, David Sanborn, Dianne Reeves, George Benson and so many more. Malone is also well-known for the solo albums he released. He will forever be remembered as one of the best performers in the music industry.

Malone Developed His Love For Music At The Age Of 4

Born on November 8, 1963, Malone was just 60 at the time of his death. He was born and raised in Georgia, US. When he was 4 years old, Malone’s mother bought him a plastic toy guitar which quickly became his favourite. He used to play with it the entire day and even tried to imitate the guitar chorus he heard in various places especially the church his mother used to take him along to. In his childhood, instead of watching cartoons like other kids, Malone was more interested in listening to musicians on Television. Some of his favorites were Glen Campbell, Roy Clark, and Chet Atkins.

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It was when Malone was 12 years old that he registered that he wanted to play music professionally. This realization came after watching ‘Soundstage’ on TV listening to his favorite musician, George Benson perform. After teaching himself all his childhood, Malone was finally ready to perform on stage. He somehow managed to get the opportunity to perform with the legendary American Jazz Musician, Jimmy Smith. However, performing with him made Malone doubt his own capabilities and he realized that he may not be as good at the job as he thought.

He then worked for Dianna Krall on different albums, three of which were nominated for the Grammys. Their music ‘When I Look in Your Eyes’ was awarded ‘Best Vocal Jazz’. After a few years, Malone landed a gig with Harry Connick and became a part of his orchestra. He worked there for around 4 years and even performed in Harry’s recordings that he released.
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The next few years, he worked with several different musicians; the most notable ones being Clarence Carter, Mulgrew Miller, Roy Hargrove, and Jack McDuff. Working with other musicians made him flexible with his music. Today, he is recognized as one of the most versatile guitarists ever.

Malone’s Solo Album

In 1992, Russell Malone released his first solo album with his name. His music became incredibly famous within just a few days and even topped the radio charts. In the album, Malone is heard playing Electrical and Acoustic guitars and even featured Harry Connick playing piano. After the success of his first album, Malone was encouraged to release a second one in 1993, titled ‘Black Butterfly’. This too, like the previous one was a smashing success.

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Malone’s Career Highlights

In 2005, Malone showed his incredible skills by performing live at Jazz Standard in New York. His music performed there was recorded and released as albums in two volumes. His music group featuring Martin Bejerano playing piano, Bond playing bass, and Blake showing his skills on drums became very popular in a short span of time. Malone then released another album titled ‘All About Melody’ which starred Luck Sellick on bass, Germanson on piano, and Willie Jones III playing drums.

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Malone Died on August 23rd, 2024

While on tour in Japan performing with Ron Carter, Malone’s sudden death was announced. His colleagues and fans all over the world mourned Malone’s tragic death and gave their condolences to his family via social media. They reminisced about his charismatic and sincere personality and stated that he would be deeply missed. No cause of death has been announced which has led to speculations surrounding his mysterious death.

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