Kunkel was born in Pittsburgh[1] and moved to Long Beach, California in when he was 9.[2] There, he was part of an orchestra at the local elementary school. Prior to moving, he was influenced by his brother and the song "Wipe Out" to play drums. He played for approximately six different bands, including the Barons, and appeared at many sock hops and high school dances, playing surf music and Beatles songs. In his last two years of high school he was a jazz drummer and later worked for John Stewart and the Kingston Trio.[3]
In 1966, Kunkel moved to Los Angeles. He joined the band Things to Come and during the summer of 1968, they performed, for 19 weeks as the opening band,[4] at the Whisky a Go Go, a club on Sunset Strip in Hollywood, while under the alcohol drinking age in California.
Kunkel's first single was a demo with Joel Sill for Trousdale Music, which included musicians Joe Osborn and Larry Knechtel.[5] In early 1970s, while rehearsing for the upcoming tour, he met Chris Darrow, a former player of John Stewart's,[5] who was a friend of Peter Asher.
In 1970, Kunkel through his connection with producer Peter Asher, rehearsed "Fire and Rain" and suggested he use brushes instead of sticks to provide the backing beat to the song. Back in the studio, he asked whether he should use the brushes, to record and Asher said, "do it like we rehearsed". He then helped James Taylor to record the rest of the Sweet Baby James album.[6] Kunkel played on Tony Kosinec's "Bad Girl Songs," which was produced by Peter Asher. In 1971 Kunkel worked with Gerry Goffin, Gary Hart, and Carole King on the Tapestry album, which became a classic. From 1971 to 1972 Kunkel worked with Joni Mitchell on her albums Blue and For the Roses. Along with his bandmates in the Section, he appeared on the first album by Crosby & Nash, and would continue working with the duo through the decade. From 1972 to 1973 he played in the attic of James Taylor's house at Martha's Vineyard where he recorded parts of the One Man Dog album. In 1972 Kunkel helped Willis Alan Ramsey to release the album, Willis Alan Ramsey, which was issued under Shelter Records label.[7]
In 2014, Judith Owen, along with her husband and musician Harry Shearer had issued an Ebb & Flow album where Kunkel, Sklar, and Wachtel performed on songs such as Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime", James Taylor's "Hey Mister", "I've Never Been To Texas", and "I Would Give Anything". Owen invited him to rehearse for the 2016 album of hers called Somebody's Child.[9]
In 2018, Kunkel played on "Small Change", a song written by Harry Shearer. The song featured the Hungarian Studio Orchestra, Judith Owen and Danny Kortchmar and was issued in an album called Smalls Change by Twanky Records/BMG on April 13.[18][when?] He started his own company called Chateau Beach Entertainment in 2019 on which he recorded an album called Rivage.[6]
Kunkel, Kortchmar, Sklar and Wachtel, along with guitarist Steve Postell, reunited to form a new band, The Immediate Family, which released its debut album Honey Don't Leave L.A. in May 2018 from Japanese Vivid Sound label.[19] A live CD Live In Japan 2018 followed in December of that year.[20] The band's U.S. debut single, "Cruel Twist," was released in June 2020.[21] in the first scene.[22]
In 1968, Kunkel married Leah Kunkel, née Leah Cohen, who was the younger sister of Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas.[26] Their son Nathaniel, now a Grammy and Emmy-winning recording engineer and producer, was born in 1970.[27] When Cass Elliot died in 1974, Russ and Leah Kunkel took in her daughter and raised her.[28] In 1990, Kunkel married singer Nicolette Larson, and that same year their daughter was born.[29] Kunkel and Larson were married until her death in 1997.[30] In 2014 he married Shauna Drayson Hayword.[31]
