Country music songwriter and performer Johny Russell (1940-2001) was born and raised in Moorhead, Mississippi.

The Mississippi Country Music Trail has placed a marker honouring Johnny Russell in the downtown section of Moorhead, near the Mississippi Department of Archives & History marker commemorating the place “where the Southern cross’ the Dog.”

The GPS location of the Mississippi Country Music Trail marker for Johnny Russell is:N33° 26.985′ W90° 30.421′

Mississippi Country Music Trail marker commemorating Johnny Russell, Moorhead, Mississippi
Mississippi Country Music Trail marker commemorating Johnny Russell, Moorhead, Mississippi

The Mississippi Country Music Trail marker for Johnny Russell reads:

“John Bright ‘Johnny’ Russell (1940-2001) was born and raised in Moorhead and went on to become a star of the Grand Ole Opry and a popular country recording artist, with such hits as ‘Catfish John‘ and ‘Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer.’ He is best remembered as the author of ‘Act Naturally,’ one of the greatest country-pop crossover songs – a hit for both Buck Owens and the Beatles that sold over twenty million copies.’

Here is a video of Buck Owens performing Act Naturally with Johnny Russell and Waylon Jennings:

Here are some YouTube video of Buck Owens performing Johnny Russell’s Act Naturally in 1965 and 1966.

 

 

 

Here’s a 1989 video of Buck Owens and Ringo Starr doing Johnny Russell’s Act Naturally:

Here’s a video of The Beatles performing Johnny Russell’s Act Naturally in Blackpool. The audio track is slightly out of sync with the video on this one.

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