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, at the
Whisky a Go Go, a club on
Sunset Strip in Hollywood, while under the alcohol drinking age in California. Kunkel worked for
Bob Dylan and together they released a
soundtrack to the movie
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. In 1970 Kunkel helped Bob Dylan and drummer
Billy Mundi release an album titled
New Morning. 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. In 1972, Kunkel with
James Taylor and
bassist
Leland Sklar,
guitarist
Danny Kortchmar from
The Flying Machine, and
keyboardist Craig Doerge formed a band called
The Section. The group existed between 1972 and 1977, during which time they had recorded three albums. A few years later however, the band got smaller because Sklar preferred to work in the studio, and Doerge had joined another band. In 1980, during his tour with
Jackson Browne to promote his album
Hold Out, he played a
tom, a
floor tom, a
bass drum, a
snare drum, and two
cymbals. During those years, he also was a drummer for the
Lawyers In Love album where he played in a song "Say It Isn't True". In 1982, Kunkel, along with
Kenny Passarelli, worked with
Dan Fogelberg on a song "Tell Me to My Face". In 1983 he helped
Jackson Browne and
Danny Kortchmar to write a song called "
Tender Is the Night" and during that time met with
Alan White of
Yes. In 1990s he was invited by Joe Walsh to perform the song "I Keep Forgettin'", where he
overdubbed with
Linn drums. Kunkel had a cameo as doomed drummer Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs in the 1984 film
This Is Spinal Tap. Before the cameo appearance, he practiced it with
Judith Owen and her husband
Harry Shearer in
Hollywood Hills. In 1991, after his appearance in the 1984 rockumentary, Kunkel joined
Spinal Tap for that year's NAMM concert. The same year, he appeared in
Bob Seger's
The Fire Inside where he played with former
E Streeter Roy Bittan. In 2004, Kunkel reunited with Crosby & Nash for
their eponymous album, acting as both drummer and co-producer. In 2010 Kunkel joined the
Troubadour Reunion Tour supporting
James Taylor and
Carole King. 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
. He started his own company called Chateau Beach Entertainment in 2019 on which he recorded an album called Rivage
. A live CD Live In Japan 2018'' followed in December of that year. The band's U.S. debut single, "Cruel Twist," was released in June 2020. in the first scene. In 2023, Russ Kunkel was recorded playing the
Bongo drums on
Playing for Change performance for
Doctor My Eyes behind
Jackson Browne. ==Equipment==