imported>Jevansen: Removing from Category:English pianists has subcat using Cat-a-lot

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Removing from Category:English pianists has subcat using Cat-a-lot

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{{Short description|English composer, pianist, arranger and musical director}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2024}}
[[File:2005 10- Hemel Hempstead Russell Churney.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Russell Churney. Hemel Hempstead Old Town Hall Arts Centre, October 2005.]]

'''Russell Churney''' (10 September 1964 – 27 February 2007) was an English composer, pianist, [[Arrangement|arranger]] and [[Music director|musical director]], and a member of the comedy/[[cabaret]] group, [[Fascinating Aïda]]. [[Ooberman]] keyboardist and vocalist [[Sophia Churney]] is his sister.

==Biography==
Born as '''Lindsay Russell Churney''' in [[Liverpool]], Churney was educated at [[Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby|Merchant Taylors' School]] in [[Great Crosby]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]. He studied Law.

He spent seven years working with the comedian [[Julian Clary]], touring extensively with Clary and singer [[Barb Jungr]], and appearing with Jungr on Clary's [[Channel 4]] [[Television program|TV series]] ''[[Sticky Moments with Julian Clary]]''. Together with Jungr, he devised and performed in shows including ''Bare'', ''Killing Me Softly'', ''Songs From The Heart'', ''Chanson: The Space in Between'', ''Barb, Bob and Brel'', and the musical ''The Ballad of Norah's Ark''.

He recorded the album ''Durga Rising'' (1997) with Jungr and [[percussionist]] [[Kuljit Bhamra]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Durga Rising - Kuljit Bhamra, Barb Jungr, Russell Churney |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/durga-rising-mw0001244497 |website=AllMusic |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> and he performs on Jungr's albums ''[[Bare (Barb Jungr album)|Bare]]'' (1999), ''[[Chanson: The Space in Between]]'' (2000), and ''[[Every Grain of Sand: Barb Jungr Sings Bob Dylan]]'' (2002).

With [[Des de Moor]] (like Jungr, a chansonnier, or singer of [[chanson]]s), he devised and performed in ''Darkness and Disgrace: Travels with a Wild-Eyed Alien from Bromley'', a show directed by Jungr and based around songs by [[David Bowie]]. Churney and de Moor also recorded an accompanying album ''[[Darkness and Disgrace: Des de Moor and Russell Churney Perform the Songs of David Bowie]]'' (2003), featuring Jungr.

Other musical shows on which Churney worked as musical director and pianist include ''Portraits in Song'' (with [[Elizabeth Mansfield]]),
''The Lonely Fate of the Femme Fatale'' (with [[Sandra Lawrence]]),
''Back With You'' (with [[Dillie Keane]]), ''Cabaret Whores'' (with Howard Samuels), ''Straker Sings Brel'' (with [[Peter Straker]]),
and ''Big Night Out at the Little Palace Theatre'' (with [[Sandi Toksvig]] and [[Dillie Keane]]).

He also recorded the albums ''One Last Flutter'' with Fascinating Aida and ''Back With You'' with [[Dillie Keane]]. He composed original [[Film score|scores]] for films including ''One Minute Past Midnight'' (directed by Celia Galan Julve, 2004) and the Channel 4 documentaries ''Return Trip'' (dir [[Carol Morley]]) and ''The Alcohol Years'' (directed by Carol Morley, 2000).

[[File:The Lovely Russell Stills.jpg|thumb|right|Performers in ''The Lovely Russell'' rehearsing (top) and performing (bottom).]]
Churney died of [[pancreatic cancer]], aged 42. A memorial concert, ''The Lovely Russell'', was held in his honour on 29 June 2008, with performances by his friends or associates [[Barb Jungr]], [[Sandi Toksvig]], [[Fascinating Aïda]], [[Julian Clary]] and many others. [[Sylvester McCoy]] donated one of his prop hats from his character in ''[[Doctor Who]]''. The proceeds of the concert went to Russell's favourite charities.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080502153407/http://www.thebloomsbury.com/event/run/1205 The Lovely Russell... | Bloomsbury Theatre]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110605133158/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/118956-The-Lovely-Russell-Churney-Will-Be-Remembered-in-London-Charity-Gala Playbill News: "The Lovely Russell" Churney Will Be Remembered in London Charity Gala]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080117230410/http://www.musicaltalk.co.uk/episodes_0056.html MusicalTalk Podcast] episode discussing Russel Churney with Fascinating Aïda's Adele Anderson
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120110125624/http://www.fascinatingaida.co.uk/biographies/view/russell_churney Russell Churney section of the Fascinating Aïda website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110523030558/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1505992.ece Obituary], ''The Times'', 13 March 2007
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071024115638/http://www.commex.org/jenny/churney.htm Des de Moor's tribute]

{{Fascinating Aida}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Churney, Russell}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:English composers]]
[[Category:People educated at Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Crosby]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer]]
[[Category:Musicians from Liverpool]]
[[Category:20th-century English pianists]]

Russell Churney - Revision history

imported>Jevansen: Removing from Category:English pianists has subcat using Cat-a-lot