Air Supply News

Tuesday, 16 March 2010 02:23

WINDSOR, Ont. — An investment of 15 minutes set in motion a career that has lasted 35 years for Air Supply.

Graham Russell claims that's how long it took him to write Lost In Love, Air Supply's breakout power ballad from 1980, and first of a string of multimilliion-sellers that made him and partner Russell Hitchcock one of the top 100 musical acts of all time.

"When you think about it, it kind of feels like somebody else and not us," said Russell, 59. "It's a long time."

Air Supply followed Lost In Love up with equally memorable hits Every Woman in the World, All Out of Love, The One That You Love, Here I Am (Just When I Though I Was Over You), Even The Nights Are Better, Sweet Dreams and Making Love Out of Nothing At All.

All were top-10 singles on the Billboard charts, and The One That You Love, also penned by Russell, went to No. 1 in May 1981.

For a kid from Nottingham, England, who grew up idolizing The Beatles, it was a dream come true. He even plays guitar left-handed, just like Paul McCartney.

"The Beatles were it for anyone from that era," he said from his home in Utah. "Especially in England. For me, the greatest rhythm guitarist ever was John Lennon."

As it happens, Russell plays rhythm guitar, too.

He and Australian-born Hitchcock, 60, met in 1975 at rehearsals for a Sydney production of Jesus Christ Superstar. After the show, they'd perform covers and some of Russell's originals at local clubs.

After forming Air Supply in 1976, they released three albums in Australia, produced some radio hits and even warmed up for an Australian tour by Rod Stewart.

But it wasn't until their 1979 concept album, Life Support, that Air Supply began to get attention outside their home country.

One of the songs on the album, a five-minute-plus version of Lost In Love, caught the ear of Arista's Clive Davis in New York. He signed the band to a multi-album deal.

The subsequent release, titled Lost In Love, produced three top 5 singles and established the band as one of the biggest attractions of the 1980s. Their run of seven top 5s in a row between March 1980 and June 1982 even eclipsed The Beatles.

It all happened quickly.

But by the end of the decade, the hits dried up and the duo split up briefly. They returned in 1991 with a different backing band and a cover of the Harry Nilsson/Badfinger song, Without You.

It only managed to reach No. 48 on Billboard's adult-contemporary charts, but it did mark Air Supply's return to the concert stage.

The band still logs about 140 dates a year, and Russell said the secret to their longevity is in keeping their distance from each other when not on the road.

"We deeply respect each other's privacy," said Russell. "We've never had an argument in 35 years."

Russell lives in Utah, Hitchcock in L.A. When not performing, Russell pursues a passion for gardening and he even built a greenhouse on his property to lengthen the growing season. "I have vegetables mostly," he said. "Various kinds of peppers, tomatoes. Roses and other flowers, too, of course."

Later this spring, Air Supply will release its first studio album in several years, Mumbo Jumbo, consisting of new songs by Russell. It's another concept album, recalling 1979's Life Support.

"I'm writing all the time," Russell said. "I don't know how I'd survive without the songwriting."

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BOX OFFICE

Air Supply, featuring Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock, perform at Caesars Windsor Colosseum, Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets $51.58-$31.45, including taxes and surcharges, at Caesars' box office, 1-888-345-5885, or online at www.caesarswindsor.com.