Milt Salomon column about a tiki gift to Leon Russell that ended up on an album cover

Music album cover is spinoff from gift

Milt Salamon — TODAY Columnist

Tiki sculptor Ed Volonino carved himself a chunk of nationwide publicity when he gave well-known rhythm-and-blues artist Leon Russell a gift in March.

Ed owns "Ed's Heads" in Indialantic. A former d.j. at Brassy's in Cocoa Beach, he told us Russell — a songwriter, singer, pianist and band leader — "played with everyone from the Beatles to Willie Nelson."

"I knew he was coming here in March, so I thought I'd present him with a carving. I carved LEON on the forehead, and a beard — something he'd like.

"I gave it to the band and I thought that was it.

"A few months later I got a call saying he'd liked it and had put some 'war paint' on it and wanted to use it on a poster. I said 'OK.' Then in July they called and said they'd pay $100 to put it on the record cover and would give me a first printing, autographed."

Ed's now-colorful carving, slightly altered by Russell's paint job, is on the front of the "Solid State" jacket. Said Ed: "I'm setting up a date to meet him in Jacksonville in October. I'm waiting now for the $100 and autographed album. And I'm hoping to get some orders from my name being on the back of the album."