Lost In Love (G Russell) – Air Supply 1979
Lost in Love was the fourth studio album by Air Supply in Australia and the first to hit the charts in North America, it contained no less than three bona fide hits, and would cast the template for the duo’s future success, with a combination of easy-listening melodies and romantic lyrics set to sculpted, seamless, light orchestration. Lyrically Graham Russell would stick closely to a constant theme of the starry-eyed troubadour, reflecting on matters of the heart. The universal nature of this romanticism, frequently about the unrequited love of a guy who doesn’t get the girl, or even a second chance to prove the depth of his feelings, contributed to the band’s wide appeal. Their song titles alone evoked the sentimentalism that became the group’s hall mark – All Out Of Love, Lost In Love, Making Love Out Of Nothing At All, were but three of the seven songs that Air Supply would take into the US top 40 charts that included the word “love” in the title.
The title song by Graham Russell from the album, previously released here in 1979, had been re-recorded and remixed and once released as a single in the US became the international breakthrough hit for the firmly middle-of-the-road Air Supply. The cover art looked like a futuristic pyramidal time machine with band members staring skywards awaiting the arrival of aliens, but they were just posing in front of the Tropical Centre of the Sydney Botanical Gardens, which was generally regarded as having all the architectural charm of a Tardis, was much derided by locals, fell into disuse, and was demolished in 2015.
The group’s Australian record label Big Time Records had sold Lost in Love to Arista Records for distribution in the US unbeknown to Russell or Hitchcock, in fact the duo were so dispirited about their lack of chart success, that they had decided to disband and go their separate ways. But this song proved to be the turning point in their career, the Robie Porter (below)/Rick Chertoff/ Charles Fisher – produced song became Air Supply’s first US hit at #3, #4 in Canada and Japan, #3 in NZ, #13 locally and a top ten hit in France.
Russell has revealed that he wrote the song in about fifteen minutes, and that like all his compositions he worked on the “keep it simple stupid” (kiss) principle “My songs are really straight ahead, real simple chords, the simpler the better. So a song like Lost In Love with four chords, there’s only two parts to it, there’s really no chorus, just a verse and a bridge. So something like that shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes to write, you know.”
The album not only delivered the hits but also demonstrated the wide variety of styles and versatility of the group from classic soft ballads, to the disco-themed Just Another Woman, the hard-rocking I Can Get Excited, to the country-tinged Old Habits Die Hard.
Unsurprisingly Lost In Love is about the unrequited love of the singer who has lost the object of his affections and reflects on how he may retrieve the situation, the winning combination of Russell Hitchcock’s plaintive tenor and the drama of Graham Russell’s words and musical arrangement infused the song with just the right amount of theatrics and heartfelt sentiment to resonate with a global audience.
Two music videos exist for this song, the official version depicts Air Supply singing on a blue background and the other has the group performing the song in concert, the album was also a mega-hit reaching multi-platinum sales of over three million copies, it climbed to #3 US, #1 Canada, #3 NZ, #10 France, and #21 Aust, with two more top five hits to be lifted from it in 1980 – All Out of Love and Every Woman in the World.
At this time the private lives of both Russell and Hitchcock had become complicated as both seemed to be struggling to find lasting loving relationships, about which they frequently sang, it was a case of art imitating life, love and other bruises indeed. Graham Russell had wed his high school sweetheart Linda in 1967 and they had two children, Simon (1968) and Samantha (1972) but by 1978 they were getting divorced. He subsequently settled into new domestic arrangements in Utah in1986 with his second wife, former air hostess Jodi Varble, he was 36 years old and she was 21.
Compiling a timeline of Russell Hitchcock’s marital arrangements over the years has been challenging, there is considerable debate amongst AS fans about to whom and when Russell was married, and which of these unions produced children. There is evidence that Russell married Dianne in Sydney in the early 1980’s, she was variously employed by Wizard Records and Radio 2MMM FM, and it has been further claimed that they had a son Jon. Below Russell and Dianne.
Further speculation that Russell was previously married to Jean and that it was this union that produced Jon cannot be documented at this time. There is consensus that Russell Hitchcock then married air hostess Paula Fulmer in 1986 but they were divorced, there is further speculation that he next married Rebecca Fields but this has not been documented. It is generally agreed that Russell then married Laurie Parker in 2000 and they had a daughter Sydney Rose, but this union did not endure and they were also divorced. He married his fourth wife Deanna Bracey in 2017 and the couple set up house in Atlanta, Georgia, but became estranged and ultimately divorced, and by 2022 he had married for a fifth time, to Cari, below with Russell.
Air Supply fans have provided valuable assistance in confirming Russell’s marital details, and although other marriages have been mentioned, at this time only the unions between Dianne, Paula, Laurie, Deanna, and Cari can be documented with some certainty, as well as the issue of two children, daughter Sydney Rose and son Jon.
Below left to right – Graham and Jodi Russell and Laurie and Russell Hitchcock at the G’Day USA Gala in Los Angeles in 2013.
4TR featured 15 Air Supply hits between Nov 16-25 2020, they’re all worth a look, cheers.
4The Record 
Can you not post that because of spelling errors and mistakes
/Users/williamlancereynolds/Desktop/Biog Reynolds 2021.docx
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Hi Lance, thanks for your feedback re the posting of “Lost in Love”, I am always happy to correct a factual error, and you certainly seem to be in a good position to know exactly what happened between Big Time and Arista, however Wikipedia quite clearly supports my version of the facts, and has further footnoted as an authority in this matter, “The Billboard Book of #1 Contemporary Hits” 1999 by Wesley Hyatt. I will follow up with Wikipedia and Hyatt re this matter, and suggest that you do likewise, perhaps together we can resolve the apparent confusion re this matter. Cheers Graeme Davy 4TR
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Is Russell still married to Deanna?
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Hi Sue, thanks for the query, hope you are well, re Russell Hitchcock and Deanna I have no further updates on their marital status so must conclude that they are still together, regards Graeme Davy 4TR.
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You have it mixed up.
Graham married Jodi Varble in 1986.
Russell marries a flight attendant and they had a daughter. Sydney Rose.
Russell has had 3 marriages since then. Someone named Rebecca. Then Laurie. Then Deanna. And he’s divorcing yet again.
Just clarifying.
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Hi Teri, thanks for getting in touch, sorting out the marital arrangements for Russell and Graham has been difficult, due to the fact that they both have the name Russell, albeit one is a first name and the other a surname, and many blog sites confuse their bios. I have followed up on your comments and can confirm the following – Graham Russell married Linda in 1967, they had two children, Simon and Samantha, and were divorced in 1978. Graham then met and married Jodi Varble in 1986, and I understand they remain together, but can’t advise of any additional children. Russell Hitchcock married air hostess Paula Fulmer in 1986 but they were divorced, he remarried in 2000 to Laurie and they had two children, a daughter Sydney Rose and son Jon, they parted and I understand that he married a third time to Deanna Bracey, and set up home in Atlanta. I understand that Russell and Deanna are estranged at this time. Please let me know if you have any further updates, cheers and thanks again for reaching out.
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I am sorry for Russell. He is sweet and loving and mild-mannered. And handsome and talented. Just met the wrong women…..I know the feeling. Wishing him love and happiness. Love you Russell…😘😍🥰
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Hi Sue, your sentiments are great, and best of luck to you for the future too.
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You missed Russell’s two wives BEFORE Paula, one of whom was named Diane (https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/russell-hitchcock-leadind-member-of-air-supply-picks-up-his-news-photo/1079146434?adppopup=true). I believe he had Jon with one of these women. Sydney Rose is definitely his daughter with Paula. Then came Rebecca Fields, Laurie Parker, and Deanna Bracy. His new fiance was mentioned in a Don Cromwell interview this year and seems to be pictured here: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=407038350779589&set=a.274167464066679
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Hi Caroline, your feedback is much appreciated, AS fans have been very helpful in assisting 4TR to trace the details of Russell’s marriages, there are only three that I can irrefutably confirm and they are to Paula, Laurie, and Deanna, I checked the two sites to which you referred me but could not verify that Rebecca Fields was ever married to Russell, nor that there was a wife that preceded his marriage to Paula Fulmer in 1986.The good news is that Russell has emerged from quarantine after contracting COVID-19 in September this year, and he has returned to live performing, best wishes to you for the future.
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How sad that he has had so many mis-marriages. It seems that sometimes people are in love with the idea of love. Having had the good fortune to be blessed with a partner, 15 years my senior, for 38 years before he passed away, it seems so tragic to me knowing that so many miss the incredible beauty of a seasoned love that manages to weathers the storms of day to day life. These relationships only grow deeper and richer over the years, romatically far surpassing the incredible passion found in the blush of new relationships. I truly hope Russell finds the love he clearly so desires.
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Hi Susan,, your feedback is much appreciated, AS fans have been very helpful in assisting 4TR to trace the details of Russell’s marriages, there would now seem to be four that can be irrefutably confirmed. The first to Diane in Sydney, as confirmed by an online image with the the two and a caption that she was his wife. She was employed at different times by Radio 2MMM FM and Wizard Records in Sydney , and it has been further claimed that they had a child, a son named Jon. It has also been claimed that Russell’s marriage to Diane was preceded by marriage to a Jean, who may have also been Jon’s mother- further documentation is required here to resolve this .There is general agreement that Russell next married Paula Fulmer in 1986, and they had a daughter Sydney Rose; it has been suggested that Russell next married Rebecca Fields, but no documentation has been located to confirm this. It is also generally agreed that Russell next married Laurie Parker (2000), and then Deanna Bracey (2017), and that he is now married to Cari (2022), her maiden name is not known.
On personal note Susan, it was great to hear of your long and happy marriage, which was confirmation that age difference between partners is just a number, not a state of the heart, we all hope that Russell can find the happiness and stability that you have enjoyed, as he goes forward with Cari, best regards Graeme 4TR.
i
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Yep! Paula is my cousin.
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Hi Teri, thanks for your interest and kind assistance, I am going to digest all this info and get back to you for a final clarification if you are OK with that? Cheers Graeme 4TR.
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When I saw Air Supply at the Keswick Theater (Glenside, PA, 7/24/2003), I’d never heard any rumors about their sexual orientation (I assumed they were straight). By the end of their fine performance that night, I was fairly certain that they were Gay (or at least Bi-). They stood and sat so close to each other while singing, looking intently into each others eyes. I sat in the first five rows with my sister-in-law, and we were both confused/distracted by their wooing manner. If they are neither gay nor bi, then perhaps they were purposely mocking some rumors about their relationship … but they never shared the joke with the audience; they played their gayness ‘straight’.
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Hi Mayfair, thanks for your feedback and comments, obviously the Air Supply performance back in ’03 made an impression on you and your sister-in-law. Graham and Russell were gifted live performers, having first met as cast members of the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar back in 1975, and as a duo they know the importance of timing, phrasing, and projecting on-stage chemistry. That said they were also a contrast in personalities – Graham Russell – introspective, poetic, a songwriter and instrumentalist, and Russell Hitchcock – extrovert, showman, and gregarious by nature, between them they have been married at least five times, and have fathered children, and after working together for over forty years they probably feel like an old married couple at times, despite the fact that they are both red-blooded Aussie heterosexuals. Best regards and stay in touch, Graeme Davy 4TR.
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Russell does not sing to Graham, he sings with him. Russell is a very attention minded person and his performance thrives on his connection to the audience. He is an emotional singer. They have also addressed in many interviews they are not gay. Both are in committed male female relationships with very nice ladies that I have met.
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Hi Cat, thanks for your feedback, let’s continue to enjoy Air Supply and look forward to any future releases, best regards Graeme Davy 4TR.
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In People Magazine in 1982, Russell H was married to Dianne for 2 years and Jon was from his first marriage. He wad 11 at the time, making him 51 in 2022. Graham was living with Chrissy. They never got married, apparently.
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Hi Arlene, thanks for your further feedback and interest in the 4TR blogs about Air Supply, I am unable to either confirm or refute your further suggestions about Russell Hitchcock being married prior to his nuptials with Paula, and neither Russell nor Graham wish to discuss these matters any further, so we must respect their privacy and just continue to enjoy their great musical legacy, cheers Graeme 4TR.
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