Browse Artists
Lee, Russ
There's something that happens when you come to understand the grace of God. For Russ Lee, it means wanting to live your whole life passionately, with urgency and compassion. It means clinging to that grace, in everything, as a prodigal son to the Father, while living your life like Christ - wide open.
The result is The Second Mile, Russ Lee's first offering on Christian Records. The Second Mile not only rocks with songs like "New Kind of Love," but it also declares the real essence of faith in songs like "We Belong to Christ," "Love Is A Cross" and "How Can I Help but Sing." Russ Lee is a real singer who's as comfortable in the confines of the recording studio as he is on stage at the largest of venues. The Second Mile is creatively compelling, authentic, and true to Russ Lee's musical influences.
"I really wanted to push the envelope," Russ says. "I wanted to make it more interesting to the people who heard the last record, and make it sound like a fireworks show to those who didn't. If you can imagine mixing southern rock, soul and seventies rock influences and the acoustic Pop Rock culture with Al Green and Tina Turner and then pouring Jesus all over it, you'll have a pretty good idea what The Second Mile sounds like."
As a lead singer Russ Lee has garnered eleven number one songs, three Dove Award Nominations, and two Songwriter of the Year awards (Nashville Songwriter Association and American Songwriter Magazine). Yet The Second Mile goes above human accomplishment. It challenges the listener to reach beyond their comfortable routines to share God's love in tangible ways. It is that commitment to encouraging others through life and art that has propelled Russ in his career thus far. Like the title song says, "the second mile starts with just one step/With the Father's help, we give ourselves."
The Second Mile showcases Russ' strengths as a writer and guitar player. His voice is gritty and reminiscent of everything Philly and Charleston Southern R&B. Russ is driven by an internal restlessness that compels him to stay relevant and honest with his audience.
Russ says, "It has a big impact, when you can stand in front of people and be honest about who you are and who you hope to become. I've found that that kind of transparency causes people to not only connect with my music, but with me as a person."
Russ's fans know his story of growing up in a family plagued by alcoholism and mental illness. As a teenager, he turned to money and possessions for a sense of stability and power, which eventually led him to begin selling drugs out of his car. Finally, at age 18, he turned from the meaningless lifestyle of drug dealing and embraced the life that he describes in the song The Prodigal.
"I want people to understand that we're all human, we all fail, and we're all desperate spiritually," Russ shares. "There's still only one answer * the cross of Christ. There's a song on the album, *Love is a Cross,' that I think explains that idea really well. Responding to this love is what allows us to leave the past behind us and move forward with significance."
No doubt songs like "We Belong to Christ" were birthed from Russ' own openness about turning past mistakes into present triumphs. The song becomes an anthem for teens and adults who are tired of wishing for things that don't satisfy. It is a truth that has impacted Russ' life repeatedly. It is a theme that he hopes will connect him to his listeners as he challenges them to decide to whom they belong. When they know, together they proclaim "We Belong to Christ."
Russ Lee is committed to having an effective ministry at home as well as on the road. His passion for living a "second mile lifestyle" extends farther than the two hours spent with an audience during a performance. An ordained minister, Russ's journey keeps him involved on the frontlines of service. Russ actively works with the children and youth of his community in a program called Awana Clubs as well as other community organizations. Russ also has a longstanding with World Vision has resulted in hundreds of needy children being sponsored. He also currently uses his platform to promote involvement in a pair of World Vision's newest programs. One buys children out of prostitution in Third World Countries while the other is the largest Christian-sponsored worldwide AIDS initiative that's ever taken place.
"I've always felt like we need to be involved in something other than just saying *I've got the answers," Russ explains. "We need to demonstrate the Gospel in practical ways. We need to say *Here's what the hands of Jesus feel like. Here's what a cold drink of water from Jesus would feel like. Here's what it feels like to be held in your brokenness.' We need to take very seriously our call to serve."
The Second Mile was written during a time of transition for Russ, his wife Mary, and their three children. In the midst of writing for the album Russ was also shifting to a new record company, booking agency and management company. As he put these songs together, the added pressure served to bring a new focus to his life.
"All of the changes surrounding this project really caused me to reassess my spiritual life," Russ says. "I'm more immediately aware now of the challenge to be a picture of Christ to those who know me the most. I always desired to know Christ and to make Him known. It's just that in doing some good things I got distracted from some of the best things. The expression is true that says *The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home.' Through this process I've rediscovered the centeredness of my own spiritual life. It's important to minister not only to my audiences, but also to the people I work with every day, other artists, and especially to my own family."
At the end of the day Russ Lee would probably tell you that The Second Mile is the truest record he has ever made. Reflecting his life, his past, his passion and his musical roots, The Second Mile captures everything Russ is about. "I feel like we're finally at the launching pad," Russ says. "Or maybe it's more like being a bulb that was planted in the fall, and now spring is finally here and everything's coming to season. So much is happening in our lives and in my music now that could only be the hand of God. I've discovered that the *second mile lifestyle' should not be the exception, but the rule. It's a challenge that everyone needs to hear."
Visit Official Website.
The result is The Second Mile, Russ Lee's first offering on Christian Records. The Second Mile not only rocks with songs like "New Kind of Love," but it also declares the real essence of faith in songs like "We Belong to Christ," "Love Is A Cross" and "How Can I Help but Sing." Russ Lee is a real singer who's as comfortable in the confines of the recording studio as he is on stage at the largest of venues. The Second Mile is creatively compelling, authentic, and true to Russ Lee's musical influences.
"I really wanted to push the envelope," Russ says. "I wanted to make it more interesting to the people who heard the last record, and make it sound like a fireworks show to those who didn't. If you can imagine mixing southern rock, soul and seventies rock influences and the acoustic Pop Rock culture with Al Green and Tina Turner and then pouring Jesus all over it, you'll have a pretty good idea what The Second Mile sounds like."
As a lead singer Russ Lee has garnered eleven number one songs, three Dove Award Nominations, and two Songwriter of the Year awards (Nashville Songwriter Association and American Songwriter Magazine). Yet The Second Mile goes above human accomplishment. It challenges the listener to reach beyond their comfortable routines to share God's love in tangible ways. It is that commitment to encouraging others through life and art that has propelled Russ in his career thus far. Like the title song says, "the second mile starts with just one step/With the Father's help, we give ourselves."
The Second Mile showcases Russ' strengths as a writer and guitar player. His voice is gritty and reminiscent of everything Philly and Charleston Southern R&B. Russ is driven by an internal restlessness that compels him to stay relevant and honest with his audience.
Russ says, "It has a big impact, when you can stand in front of people and be honest about who you are and who you hope to become. I've found that that kind of transparency causes people to not only connect with my music, but with me as a person."
Russ's fans know his story of growing up in a family plagued by alcoholism and mental illness. As a teenager, he turned to money and possessions for a sense of stability and power, which eventually led him to begin selling drugs out of his car. Finally, at age 18, he turned from the meaningless lifestyle of drug dealing and embraced the life that he describes in the song The Prodigal.
"I want people to understand that we're all human, we all fail, and we're all desperate spiritually," Russ shares. "There's still only one answer * the cross of Christ. There's a song on the album, *Love is a Cross,' that I think explains that idea really well. Responding to this love is what allows us to leave the past behind us and move forward with significance."
No doubt songs like "We Belong to Christ" were birthed from Russ' own openness about turning past mistakes into present triumphs. The song becomes an anthem for teens and adults who are tired of wishing for things that don't satisfy. It is a truth that has impacted Russ' life repeatedly. It is a theme that he hopes will connect him to his listeners as he challenges them to decide to whom they belong. When they know, together they proclaim "We Belong to Christ."
Russ Lee is committed to having an effective ministry at home as well as on the road. His passion for living a "second mile lifestyle" extends farther than the two hours spent with an audience during a performance. An ordained minister, Russ's journey keeps him involved on the frontlines of service. Russ actively works with the children and youth of his community in a program called Awana Clubs as well as other community organizations. Russ also has a longstanding with World Vision has resulted in hundreds of needy children being sponsored. He also currently uses his platform to promote involvement in a pair of World Vision's newest programs. One buys children out of prostitution in Third World Countries while the other is the largest Christian-sponsored worldwide AIDS initiative that's ever taken place.
"I've always felt like we need to be involved in something other than just saying *I've got the answers," Russ explains. "We need to demonstrate the Gospel in practical ways. We need to say *Here's what the hands of Jesus feel like. Here's what a cold drink of water from Jesus would feel like. Here's what it feels like to be held in your brokenness.' We need to take very seriously our call to serve."
The Second Mile was written during a time of transition for Russ, his wife Mary, and their three children. In the midst of writing for the album Russ was also shifting to a new record company, booking agency and management company. As he put these songs together, the added pressure served to bring a new focus to his life.
"All of the changes surrounding this project really caused me to reassess my spiritual life," Russ says. "I'm more immediately aware now of the challenge to be a picture of Christ to those who know me the most. I always desired to know Christ and to make Him known. It's just that in doing some good things I got distracted from some of the best things. The expression is true that says *The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home.' Through this process I've rediscovered the centeredness of my own spiritual life. It's important to minister not only to my audiences, but also to the people I work with every day, other artists, and especially to my own family."
At the end of the day Russ Lee would probably tell you that The Second Mile is the truest record he has ever made. Reflecting his life, his past, his passion and his musical roots, The Second Mile captures everything Russ is about. "I feel like we're finally at the launching pad," Russ says. "Or maybe it's more like being a bulb that was planted in the fall, and now spring is finally here and everything's coming to season. So much is happening in our lives and in my music now that could only be the hand of God. I've discovered that the *second mile lifestyle' should not be the exception, but the rule. It's a challenge that everyone needs to hear."
Visit Official Website.
Albums
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Hear Those Bells
Words In Time
Second Mile, The
Pictures on Mantles: The Best of Russ Lee