Charles Arthur Russell Jr. (May 21, 1951 – April 4, 1992) was an American cellist, composer, producer, singer, and musician from Iowa, whose work spanned a disparate range of styles. After studying contemporary composition and Indian classical music in California, Russell relocated to New York City in the mid-1970s, where he became involved with both Lower Manhattan's avant-garde community and later the city's burgeoning disco scene. His eclectic work spanned many of these influences, drawing variously on minimalism, dance, pop, folk, dub, new wave, and electronic music, and was often marked by his distinctive voice and adventurous production choices.