I was older before I began to appreciate drummers like him. It's not about all the crazy licks - it's about playing the right part and keeping the pocket, and Russ Kunkel just crushes it, again and again.

Love seeing him smiling and playing so smoooth. He and Leland Sklar were/are the best rhythm section ever.

Once physicists get that damn time machine built, the 70’s will be the prime destination.

Russ Kunkel is so tasteful. He plays what the music calls for. No more, no less. A true musician.

The groove is so smooth and the pocket is deep. This is why Russ was so sought after in the studio.

No drummer has such class behind his instrument. Masterfully clean & 'simple'. Young cats take note.

This made me cry -- it's so beautiful to see that he is still just as fantastic (and solid) after all these years.

Didn't even know who he was most of my life. Turns out I was hearing him all over the place and was one of the ones who "taught me" how to write drum parts behind a singer/songwriter. Thank you so much, Russ!!

40 years after the album was recorded (live) Russ is still perfectly in that pocket and completely nailing it. Talent + skill + professionalism = godlike playing!

I had the honor of teching for him on the very last leg of the very last CSN Tour in 2015, a true professional, and a lovely gentleman. Solid, on the money every night, truly a joy, rock on russell!

Lee Sklar always says Russ is the best Pocket and the perfect fill man. When you think it needs fill Russ is right there perfect timing. Essentially he says you can not touch Russ.

The best. All those musicians from the late 60’s and 70’s are still so awesome

A perfect example of taste and playing for the song. Like a lot of drummers, I started out being enthralled by the drummers who could play anything and to a degree I still am. But, age and maturity leads us down other roads. Russ Kunkel definitely occupies a room for any aspiring drummer to learn from in terms of melody, tempo and playing for the song. On top of that, he seems like a nice guy.

Love everything he plays, stays in the pocket and never plays something that interferes with the vocal or the music flow, one of the best and underrated drummers around

You can see what fun he's having

I could listen to him play JUST the drum part to this song. A thing of beauty.

Wow! I wish every drummer in the world would study this video!

Watching this always makes my smile.

His meter during his fills is world-class!

One of the most “in demand” session and recording studio drummers in history. I saw him with Linda Ronstadt and he was magnificently invisible because this caliber of musician is there to make the star shine brightly.

To give you some context, growing up in New Zealand, we only had the radio, perhaps Modern Drummer magazine, albums or 45's I would buy based on who was playing on the records of the time which I would pour over to get a finger nail hold on the names that appeared on countless albums I had. My reading was the credits of who played on what. I fell in love with the session players of the West Coast of America. This was all pre you tube days of around 2005 and that love has only deepened. No bars to go to and hang out with my mates to dig on the players, no Troubador club or The Baked Potato to go and watch my hero's play cause they were all over there and not here on NZ soil. Now......thanks to modern technology, I can sit, watch and admire the Cat's I came to love since the 60's. I am now in my late 50's now. Thank you and copious blessings for uploading this of one of my many hero's who helped me come to love drumming myself and the art of music. Russ Kunkel, you are a living legend brother in my estimation. Thank you for inspiring me all the way down here. Blessings from New Zealand.

Russ is one of my all time favorite drummers. He rocks!

Great playing of course, cymbals sound phenomenal.

Thank You Russ! Perfect.

I was a kid when I saw the Running On Empty tour and can remember it vividly. Russ was killer then and is incredible now. I get to see him on occasion playing with The Immediate Family which is The Section plus Waddy Wachtel. Check them out if you get a chance. Danny Kortchmar, Lee Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Waddy Wachtel, Steve Postell.

Such beatiful whisling sound his cymbals has❤️

Holy crap those overhead mics make the cymbals sound amazing!

Russ "Mr. Clean" Kunkel as the great James Taylor calls him is certainly clean when he plays those drums! He's one of my all-time favorites.

Seen him play with Linda Rondstadt a couple of times in the late 70's! Awsome!

70s icon on drums...…...and still an icon

Russ Kunkel probably doesn't get his due but he was the drummer on a lot of hits back in the 70's. I think he was THE West Coast drummer for a lot of those singer/songwriters back then. I do get a kick out of seeing the guys who had wild hair back in the day who are now bald. :-) Part of the aging process many will go through but he still can play!

Wow. After all these years he nailed it. Wonder what it feels like to have played one of the most iconic songs ever.

Yeah Brother!! That's how you play a song!!!

Russ is Pure Class. Old school. great pocket. !!!!!

Just caught him with Immediate Family the other night. He listens so well.... so supportive of the song/singer. Total Class.

Russ has been one of my favorite drummers sence i can remember .

Lyle Lovett's Large Band, with both Leland Sklar and Russ Kunkel, are simply as good as you can get. Great horns, awesome guitars, AMAZING vocals, and the best rhythm section going right now. No idea how Lyle keeps them coming back year after year ... although he has always had a reputation for putting together absolutely stunning musicians for his monster US tours. But his fans are blessed for it.

Such an epic drummer! Such a talented dude with lots of energy. Just looking at his album credits is quite a read.

Russell kunkel is a great drummer.....period

Legend. It’s all about feel

It was great to see Russ play this. Thanks so much

LEGEND.

First knew of his work when he backed studio albums with John Stewart back in the early 70's. Great musician.

I love to see the old vets doing their stuff. Inspiring.

I was there at the Pitbull Audio DW Workshop with Russ Kunkel and he is of the the most humble talented hit makers of our time. He was playing on his New Custom DW drum set and killed it. He said that they were amazing and very happy with his custom choices.

Just saw Russ perform with James Taylor. Loved it.

Russ is one of the best there ever was..at what he does...The drummer of a band and or supporting the lead performer. He always plays to the song...never making his drumming about him or his performance. I have seen him elbows, arms and wrists on solos but even then he was under control...He is back in a new band "The Immediate Family" with two of his "The Section" pals great guitarist Danny Kortchmar and master bassist Leland Sklar along with their long time friend the amazing rocker guitarist Waddy Watchel and Steve Postel on guitar and vocals. They are putting the final mix on a new album with all new original songs. Also when this mess clears up they will be on tour. Last but not least Denny Tedesco (son of Tommy) who did a wonderful documentary on the famous studio recording stars The Wrecking Crew..is now filming a similar documentary on the Immediate Family. Stay safe and healthy everyone. God Bless

Just playing the music is always a win ! Sounds great.

Such a great video of a great player. He's lovin' it and so am I.

omg. that was right in there . i just smile when he plays with fineese inside of the tune push and pull just when its right. Kunkel is a lmaster and right on . loved this :) . drum sound sweet too :)))

Funny as soon as I saw the title of this video I had to watch. Beautiful playing Russell just perfect.

That was awesome. That was epic incredible. amazing.

That simple fill on the snare in the break before the lap steel solo is MONEY!

this here is a drumming masterclass in one song

Can't teach passion! Love his feel on Stephen Stills Live

It's truly insane how deep DW gets their toms to sound

Russ has always been a percussive hero if mine

This man has offered some of the best drum performances in the history of recorded music. This is one for sure!!! Also "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor and a personal favorite "Get Closer" by Linda Ronstadt in 7/4 with a pocket as deep as the Grand Canyon. Awesome!!!

Some of my favorite Russ Kunkel drumming can be found on Jackson's album Lawyers in Love, check it out!

Love This RUSS!! Todd Southwick here, remembering California yrs back @ Bixby Knolls w/ Steve Renolfsson playing piano at Grandparents backyard music room, Love your smile brother! Always

Awesome!

always the perfect part for the song with RK

Excellent, really enjoyed this! 🎵🎶🎼🥁👍

I saw him when he was with Dan Fogelberg at the Keswick Theatre in Philly, about 13 years ago..... And with JT before that. Now following him in his Family band,...

Outstanding!!

Russ!! Hell yeah!!

Wow lovely!

What a fantastic drummer! Thanks for sharing!

Goddamn, I wish I had been there!! One of the best rock tracks ever, thanks in no small part to Kunkel’s performance.

Awesome.

Awesome, great sound!!

Smooth grooves.

That kit sounds AWESOME!!!!

Legend right there! Seeing you live playing fire and rain was life changing for me and my drumming. Thank you for all you have played.

after seeing this a thousand times it's still wow

Wow, perfection! Thank you Russ!

Russ is so into the groove!

Beautiful!

Awesome to see those drums in isolation. Very cool

wonderful play. i dig it

All over Chicago radio in the 70's. Fantastic taste & imagination.

Pure class.

An Idol!

So steady and simple. Therein lies greatness.

Amazing. You took me back in time, Russ! your percussion in ALL of "Running On Empty" was perfect. God bless you! You're amazing! That was perfect, and just what I needed this evening!

A true gentleman and legendary drummer of a gazillion great recordings and hit records!

Thank you Russ, always loved your playing and good taste playing great music !

wow, Russ always the best

Russ was part of legendary the West Coast session players "The Wrecking Crew". It had a shifting membership over the years, but Russ was one of them. The interesting thing about a lot of recordings back then was that session guys would lay down the tracks on an album, and when the album was released would go on your with the artist as the backing band. If memory serves, Russ was drummer in Jackson Browne's band as well as contributing the drum part on the LP. In many cases, the session guys got charts that laid out structure and chords, but _created_ the parts they played, in this is an instance of that. Russ played on James Taylor's early tours, along with Leland Sklar (bass) Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar and Waddy Wachtell (guitars) and Craig Doerge (Keyboards.). James didn't like sound checks, and would come in just long enough to see the levels on his vocal and guitar mics were correct. The rest of the band took it as an excuse to jam. After one gig, the co-producer of the album they were touring in support of called them to his hotel room and said "Listen to this!" playing a tape he'd made. They said "That's pretty good! Who is that?" "It's _you_ guys, jamming at sound check! You should record your own music!" James said "You're a rhythm section. Why not just call yourself The Section? They did, and released three LPs. The Section would be the opening act for James, go offstage, and come back on as his backing band for his set. (The Section did jazz/rock fusion instrumental stuff. Record companies didn't quite know what to do with them, so they never got chart success. (The Section was huge in Japan, and The Section occasionally reunites and tours Japan to SRO audiences.). Russ, along with other Wrecking Crew alumni Leland Sklar, Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar , Waddy Wachtel, and Tom Postel are now a band called Immediate Family, have an album in the can, and are about to tour. There's a fair bit of Immediate Family stuff on KZfaq. What you'll see is top session guys who've been honing their chops for 50 years. It doesn't get better than taht.

Also listen to the Fire Inside by Bob Seger

I went to this event at my shop up here in Portland, ME. I drove two hours down from the midcoast and it was a great event. I was hoping for some clinic show and tell stuff, but it was still cool. Plus I got Russ to sign my loved copy of Jackson Browne's Lawyers in Love album. He told me the crazy the story of the album cover shoot. (It's a real Beamer drowned in water!) I also got to meet John Good. Such a cool dude and he raved about how beautiful the coast of Maine is and how lucky we are to get to live here. (Not in the winter but the summer is nice!) Plus their wives were there and they made a nice trip out of it.

Just wonderful. So very musical. 😁

I grew up to his beats! The man rocks!!

Great Drummer! Great sounding kit!

Such rock solid timing! Love some of Russ’ work over the years - one of my favorites is his work on JT your smiling face. Such a feel to that one!

Great performance Russ ! Greetz and hugs, Ben in The Netherlands...

Such a pleasure to see the relaxed body expression and perfection of a lifetime pro! Thank you, Russ! (keep smilin).

I have chills watching this …..

Oh man,, dont know how many times I've airdrummed to this song...brilliant to see it live..such a shame the album version hasn't appeared on live footage but this is next best thing....loved it !

You rocked it man awesome