Russell Charles Hitchcock was born on June 15, 1949, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to parents, Malcolm and Bettine Hitchcock. He grew up in the inner city and attended South Brunswick State School before going on to Princes Hill High School where he completed five years of education. Nearly!
Russell left school at the age of sixteen (in retrospect he admits this was a bad move), and his first job was selling clothing in a small retail store in Melbourne. He moved on to a much larger department store and became a buyer for suitcases, travel rugs and picnic baskets! At the age of twenty, he changed professions and joined a large computer company where he worked in the spare parts division as State Manager. Russell held this position until he was asked to move to Sydney, to assist with the much larger office there.
It was during this time, that he auditioned for the upcoming production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the prompting of his girlfriend who had seen an advertisement concerning it in a newspaper. Thus in 1975, Russell walked into a theater in Sydney, where among the other cast members, he was introduced to Graham Russell. They became instant friends, and one day during rehearsals Russell heard Graham singing a song and accompanying himself on guitar (which he was playing upside down and back to front!) Russell asked him what the song was, and Graham told him it was one of his own compositions. Russell began singing with him on the chorus of the song. The guys thought that they sounded good together and planned to work on his songs to see what would happen. They performed together at lunchtimes at Universities and played at the clubs late at night when the show was over.
Towards the end of 1976 the guys released their first recording, entitled "Love and Other Bruises," which became an instant hit in Australia. When the production of "Superstar" finished at the end of that year, they were already atop the charts with the #1 album and single. They toured all over the country, and in January of 1977 were asked to open for Rod Stewart for his tour of Australia. Then, on the 4th of July, they came to the United States for the first time to record an album and also support Rod on his North American tour. This was a huge undertaking, and the guys were fortunate enough to play all the biggest venues in the country - Madison Square Garden in New York, The Forum in Los Angeles, The Spectrum in Philadelphia, and many more.
That tour ended in San Francisco, in December; and Graham and Russell headed home. The tour had been invaluable for them, as they had watched Rod every night and saw a true superstar at work. They learned as much as they could about performing and presentation; and it was, all in all, the experience of a lifetime. In 1978 Graham retired to South Australia, where he wrote more songs, which included "Lost in Love" and "All Out Of Love". Air Supply released "Lost in Love," and once again had a major hit in Australia. This time the recording was presented to Clive Davis at Arista Records in The United States, and he fell in love with the song. The guys were signed to Arista records, and thus began an incredible string of hits.
The rest, as they say, is history. Russell has enjoyed recording and performing with Graham for thirty years now. Russell admits that Graham still amazes him with his talent and vision. He feels privileged and honored to be a part of Air Supply and to know Graham, not only as the incredible composer that he is, but also to be able to call him the brother he had never known. Russell reassures Air Supply fans that they have much more music within them yet, and he hopes the fans continue this wonderful journey with them.
Russell Charles Hitchcock was born on June 15, 1949, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to parents, Malcolm and Bettine Hitchcock. He grew up in the inner city and attended South Brunswick State School before going on to Princes Hill High School where he completed five years of education. Nearly!
Russell left school at the age of sixteen (in retrospect he admits this was a bad move), and his first job was selling clothing in a small retail store in Melbourne. He moved on to a much larger department store and became a buyer for suitcases, travel rugs and picnic baskets! At the age of twenty, he changed professions and joined a large computer company where he worked in the spare parts division as State Manager. Russell held this position until he was asked to move to Sydney, to assist with the much larger office there.
It was during this time, that he auditioned for the upcoming production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the prompting of his girlfriend who had seen an advertisement concerning it in a newspaper. Thus in 1975, Russell walked into a theater in Sydney, where among the other cast members, he was introduced to Graham Russell. They became instant friends, and one day during rehearsals Russell heard Graham singing a song and accompanying himself on guitar (which he was playing upside down and back to front!) Russell asked him what the song was, and Graham told him it was one of his own compositions. Russell began singing with him on the chorus of the song. The guys thought that they sounded good together and planned to work on his songs to see what would happen. They performed together at lunchtimes at Universities and played at the clubs late at night when the show was over.
Towards the end of 1976 the guys released their first recording, entitled "Love and Other Bruises," which became an instant hit in Australia. When the production of "Superstar" finished at the end of that year, they were already atop the charts with the #1 album and single. They toured all over the country, and in January of 1977 were asked to open for Rod Stewart for his tour of Australia. Then, on the 4th of July, they came to the United States for the first time to record an album and also support Rod on his North American tour. This was a huge undertaking, and the guys were fortunate enough to play all the biggest venues in the country - Madison Square Garden in New York, The Forum in Los Angeles, The Spectrum in Philadelphia, and many more.
That tour ended in San Francisco, in December; and Graham and Russell headed home. The tour had been invaluable for them, as they had watched Rod every night and saw a true superstar at work. They learned as much as they could about performing and presentation; and it was, all in all, the experience of a lifetime. In 1978 Graham retired to South Australia, where he wrote more songs, which included "Lost in Love" and "All Out Of Love". Air Supply released "Lost in Love," and once again had a major hit in Australia. This time the recording was presented to Clive Davis at Arista Records in The United States, and he fell in love with the song. The guys were signed to Arista records, and thus began an incredible string of hits.
The rest, as they say, is history. Russell has enjoyed recording and performing with Graham for thirty years now. Russell admits that Graham still amazes him with his talent and vision. He feels privileged and honored to be a part of Air Supply and to know Graham, not only as the incredible composer that he is, but also to be able to call him the brother he had never known. Russell reassures Air Supply fans that they have much more music within them yet, and he hopes the fans continue this wonderful journey with them.
