Russell attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as did Anita Bryant who was two years older, and in 1959 was in the same 1959 class as pop musician David Gates. Russell and Gates played and recorded together as the Fencemen. Also attending Will Rogers at the time was guitarist and singer-songwriter Elvin Bishop. As a teenager Russell was already performing at Tulsa nightclubs. He took the name Leon from a friend who lent him a fake ID to get into clubs in which he was legally too young to perform.