We have a special guest for the 2010 annual SCI Prayer Breakfast to be held in Reno, Nevada. Russell is a native to the Lone Star state where he was raised until his late teens. In the summer between his freshman and sophomore year of college, an errant bullet fired in a hunting accident customized Russell's right foot, thus ending his intended football career. Soon after, the native Texan was captivated by musical interests and within a short time began a songwriting career that continues to this day. In his early musical days he performed with several folk/pop groups in the U.S., including the New Christy Minstrels. Russell then launched his solo singer/songwriter career and while on a vacation in Canada, he was offered a recording contract, a national musical TV show and concert tours with such names as Dusty Springfield, Kenny Rogers and the 1st Addition and Bill Cosby. In Canada he met Sharleen Gibson, an Alberta girl who captured Russell's heart and became his wife. After settling in Alberta, Russell won nine BMI awards for his original songs and had three No1 hit records on songs that he wrote and performed.

Unlike most musicians, Russell has a passion for hunting and fishing, which he found in abundance in the wilds of western Canada. His love of the outdoors eventually led Russell to overlapping careers. In addition to his musical efforts, he operated a guiding and outfitting business for hunters and fishermen. Russell literally pioneered the trophy whitetail hunting industry in western Canada because he recognized the value of the great trophy deer, which Canadians simply took for granted. Over an 18-year period, his guide service offered American hunters opportunities to hunt for trophy white-tailed deer, black bear, moose and elk. In addition, he pioneered the first commercial flyfishing guide service for the big rainbows and brown trout on the famous Bow River in southern Alberta. As he gained prominence for producing giant Alberta whitetails for his clients, he was also establishing himself as one of North America's prominent outdoor writers and authors, contributing to virtually every noteworthy hunting magazine in North America.

Simultaneously, Russell was offered the opportunity to host a national outdoor television series on Canada's CBC network called "The Canadian Great Escape," which he produced and directed. Thornberry applied his understanding of the outdoors with his easy on-camera manner gleaned from years of music TV and concert experience and the series was a hit. Subsequently, he was asked to produce a series of hunting videos, two of which won acclaim both in Canada and the U.S. Monarchs of Alberta, featuring trophy whitetail hunting in that province, is still hailed as the one of the best whitetail hunting videos ever produced.

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