Bass guitarist Frank Russell, a native of Chicago, started his music career early playing drums, guitar and sax before switching to bass guitar at the age of 14, and has been playing it ever since. Russell’s diverse performance background includes working on Grammy-nominated albums with Henry Johnson, performing at Steppenwolf Theater productions, and winning first prize in the 1992 Best of Chicago Jazz Search. He has performed in countless jazz festivals like Newport Jazz Festival, the Telluride Jazz Festival, and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and has performed with such distinct artists such as Ramsey Lewis, Freddie Hubbard, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Bobby Irving, Art Porter, and many others. Jazz writer, Dave Freeman writes, "For the complete Frank Russell bass experience, see him live, he's one of the escapees from Monster Bass Island."