Andy Russell was born into a family and a culture rich with stories and storytellers. Every family gathering was filled with stories of history and hard times, simple pleasures and heartfelt emotions. Andy grew up in the western Piedmont section of North Carolina, with relatives scattered in Cool Springs, Statesville and across the Brushy Mountains. His boyhood and his stories sparkle from time spent with his grandparents, big Southern breakfasts, fishing for catfish with a cane pole and making music with friends. Oh, and watermelon!
Andy’s storytelling style is warm and comforting, like sitting by a wood stove on a chilly mountain evening. One minute you are bent with laughter, and the next you are quietly wiping away a tear. Andy’s years writing songs in Nashville serve him well here too, as many of his stories have related songs that complement or expand the story, and are often simply wonderful all on their own.
Andy has appeared at venues as diverse as the Lafayette Theater Company’s Black Box Theatre in LaGrange GA, The Sharon Theatre in Lady Lake FL and the Black Mountain Center for the Arts in Black Mountain NC. Andy has twice been selected as a Member Teller in the “Stories From The Heart” concerts at the Florida Storytelling Festival in Mt. Dora Fl. He was also invited as a Regional Teller at this year’s “A Taste of Storytelling” concert in LaGrange Ga, sponsored by the Azalea Storytelling Festival Committee.
Andy is a member of the Florida Storytelling Association and the North Carolina Storytelling Guild.
In his free time, Andy loves to volunteer at Chase Animal Sanctuary in Webster FL, where he has worked with lemurs and other endangered species for more than four years. "So many of these animals have had a rough start in life," Andy says. "Helping them to adjust and adapt to a lifestyle much more like what they would experience in the wild is one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had."
Andy lives in Wildwood, Florida with his wife, two dogs and a three-legged cat.