An Upstate show earns a devoted following thanks to two entertainers plus Boo Boo the rabbit.
He’s made music with the Bee Gees, perused the Grease script with Frankie Avalon, styled Debbie Reynolds’ hair, and hung out with Tom Hanks. And now, Bruce Russack performs with the biggest scene-stealer of all—his pet rabbit, Boo Boo.
“This bunny brings so many smiles to people,” says Russack, who regularly performs at retirement communities, rehabilitation centers, and other places that could use some sunshine. “The reaction to him is unbelievable.”
Russack is an accomplished singer, so the show is full of his original songs (including an ode to Boo Boo to open the show) as well as ’60s classics like “I Only Want to be With You” by Dusty Springfield and “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. “Everyone sings along to that one,” he says.
Boo Boo sits on Russack’s shoulder for much of the show, the subject of several serenades, and 90-year-old Ted Anderson provides comic relief between songs.
“I get jealous; they clap for him more than me!” Russack jokes. “But it all goes hand-in-hand and it just works.”
The Life of the Party with Brucie B and the Boo
Kari Stritch, life enrichment director at The Springs in Simpsonville, says a performance from “Brucie B and the Boo” is always a favorite among residents and staff. “We had residents singing and dancing the entire show,” she says. “I cannot put into words how much our seniors enjoyed Bruce . . . . I have hired him again and will continue to book his show throughout the year.”
Russack and his fiancé, Sharon Picard, both got their start in entertainment doing “special extra” work for film and television in Florida, and Russack also did hair for the entertainment industry for 45 years.
Always gregarious, he dreamed of being a star, and while you can catch him in the show Miami Vice, the John Singleton movie Rosewood, and the Tom Hanks miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, he ended up spending more time chatting with celebrities than becoming one himself.
As a singer, he recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, where he met Barry Gibb and recorded with the Bee Gees musicians. He went on to work for the Transportation Security Administration, first in Fort Lauderdale and then at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, before retiring in 2017.
One day, he was flying back to Florida for a visit, and he ended up seated next to Ted Anderson. “Bruce and I are both talkers, so we talked all the way to Florida,” Anderson says. A former pastor, Anderson was able to help Russack through some difficult times, including the loss of several family members and depression.
The other fateful meeting was with Boo Boo, a Mellerud rabbit. Picard met him first, walking by a pet store in Hollywood, Florida. “I fell in love with him,” she says. “I told Bruce about him, and he said, ‘Bring him home.’”
Soon, Boo Boo became like a child to them, and they spent two years training him, including teaching him to sit on Russack’s shoulder, a very uncommon habit for rabbits.
Boo Boo creates such a stir that Russack always reminds people of the amount of work and expense it requires to be a good rabbit parent. “It’s a really big commitment,” he says.
In addition to his local celebrity status from shows, Boo Boo is also well known to a television audience, going live with Chris Justus on WYFF several times. He’s also a certified emotional support animal. “He knows what’s going on,” Russack says. “He’s very smart.”
Next, Russack would like to pour his message of happiness into a children’s book, If Rabbits Could Talk, inspired by a poem he wrote about Boo Boo.
“God has directed me here,” he says. “I used to think of myself and not other people. Now, I’m thinking of other people before myself.”
Find Brucie B & The Boo on Instagram @thefoom.
Rabbit Facts
- Rabbits are the third most popular pet in the US.
- Slightly more than one percent of US households own a rabbit.
- Rabbits typically live between 8–12 years in captivity.
- Rabbits can be litter-box trained just like cats.
- Companion rabbits should not be kept outdoors.
