Biography

Guitarist Jeff Russo is an award-winning film and TV composer, also known for his work as a founding member of the band Tonic. Russo emerged to chart success, nabbing a mainstream rock hit with "If You Could Only See" off Tonic's 1996 debut, Lemon Parade. The group also picked up two Grammy nominations for 2002's Head on Straight. Russo expanded into soundtrack work, scoring film and television productions, including winning an Emmy for his work on FX's acclaimed drama Fargo. He has supplied the music to shows like Star Trek: Discovery, The Umbrella Academy, and Legion. He also scored director Noah Hawley's 2019 film Lucy in the Sky and the 2021 drama Oslo. Born in 1969, Russo started playing guitar in his teens, inspired by his love of bands like the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. In 1990, he formed the alt-rock outfit Tonic with his childhood friend singer/guitarist Emerson Hart. They broke through with 1996's Lemon Parade, which went platinum, buoyed by the hits "If You Could Only See" and "Open Up Your Eyes." Sugar followed in 1999, spawning the hit "You Wanted More," which was also included on the American Pie soundtrack. With 2002's Head on Straight, Tonic received two Grammy nominations. The group's fifth album, the eponymously titled Tonic, arrived in 2010. While continuing his work in Tonic, Russo began branching out, writing music for commercials and producing. In 2014, he gained wider recognition winning an Emmy for his score to FX's Golden Globe-winning series Fargo. He has remained a sought-after composer, scoring Starz's Counterpart, starring J.K. Simmons, Neftlix's sci-fi series Altered Carbon, and HBO's Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated series The Night Of, starring John Turturro and Riz Ahmed. He also picked up a BAFTA nomination for Best Music for Annapurna Interactive's video game What Remains of Edith Finch. In 2017, Russo scored the Marvel-based FX show Legion. In addition, he supplies the music for the Peabody Award-nominated Star Trek: Discovery and Netflix's The Umbrella Academy, based on the Gerard Way comic book series. Russo has also scored for film, including Mark Wahlberg's 2018 action-thriller Mile 22 and the 2018 Lizzie Borden biographical thriller Lizzie, starring Chloe Sevigny and Kristen Stewart. In 2019, he scored director Noah Hawley's film Lucy in the Sky, starring Natalie Portman. Russo also supplied the soundtrack to the 2021 TV movie Oslo, based on the negotiations surrounding the 1993 Oslo Accords. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi