He grew up in a bilingual home, hearing and talking Spanish with his parents, while talking English with his brothers and sisters, and people outside of the home. His parents enjoyed listening to Mexican music, in particular, mariachi. At this young age, Russell did not appreciate the music of Mexico, nor did he fully comprehend the Spanish language . He felt so frustrated that he would ask his parents to speak to him in English. Moreover, in an interview from 1967, he poignantly stated that he was only able to learn a little Spanish from his parents due to the fact that they had died when he was just 11 years old.