Up until Great White singer Jack Russell’s untimely passing in August of 2024, he also fronted Russell/Guns partnered by L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns, their sole album, Medusa, debuting in 2024.
On 12th April – this year’s Record Store Day – Medusa by Russell/Guns will be made available on vinyl for the very first time via the Frontiers record label.
For Jack Russell, this Russell/Guns project represented a long-awaited return to recording and new music, coming seven years after the release of He Saw It Comin’ with Jack Russell’s Great White. Without dwelling on the past and attempting to recreate the storied origins of the multi-platinum hard rock entity, Russell was said to be excited to be moving forward and collaborating with Tracii Guns, an artist who has been experiencing a creative resurgence of his own.
“It was so great making a record with Tracii! Initially, I had reservations about making this record, but in the end, it kicks ass,” said Russell at the time.
On Medusa, the pair discovered a common thread in a collection of songs that draw from the bluesy power and heavy energy of their most celebrated material and roots yet were infused with a fresh, energetic drive and modern metallic production.
Guns himself commented of the collaboration: “Jack was one of the greatest rock voices of our generation. It was a total honour to play guitar on this, his final studio record.”
Jack Russell burst onto the scene as the frontman for Great White back in In 1984. A prominent presence in the Los Angeles music scene. The band’s self-titled debut, along with platinum-selling albums like 1987’s Once Bitten… and 1989’s …Twice Shy, sold over eight million copies worldwide. Their rock legacy continued into the 21st century, and in 2011, Russell went on to form Jack Russell’s Great White.
A legend in his own right, Tracii Guns founded LA Guns in 1983, and band that later merged with another group called Hollywood Rose, laying the foundation for one of the true giants of rock: Guns N’ Roses. After departing the band and reuniting with former Girl lead vocalist Phil Lewis to reform LA Guns, he signed with Vertigo Records and released 14 studio albums with the band. He also ventured into various side projects, including Contraband (with Michael Schenker and others), Sunbomb (with Michael Sweet of Stryper), and more recently, Blackbird Angels with Todd Kerns (of Slash & The Conspirators).
Described as an album that “showcases inspired artistic integrity and commitment to rock ‘n’ roll from two extraordinary rock stars of the 80s and 90s,” Medusa also featured L.A. Guns’ bass player Johnny Martin and drummer Shane Fitzgibbon, and keyboard player Alessandro del Vecchio.
Tracks featured on the records are: ‘Next In Line’, Tell Me Why’, ‘Coming Down’, ‘Where I Belong’, ‘For You’, ‘Give Me the Night’, ‘Living A Lie’, ‘In And Out of Love’, ‘Medusa’, ‘Back Into Your Arms Again’ and ‘I Want You’.
