Born and raised in Broken Arrow (Oklahoma), Russ McKinnon graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 1977. His mother was a choral music teacher at Broken Arrow Public Schools, and he taught percussion for Union and Broken Arrow.



Russ moved to California after attending the University of Tulsa and the University of North Texas.



Russ McKinnon built a name for himself through years as a professional musician and was invited to tour in Barry Manilow's band more than 10 years ago.