Russell's early life followed the trajectory of other African American's who moved from the South to the North during the 1950s—his family moved from Birmingham, Alabama to Youngstown, Ohio. Unfortunately, the family's house burned down and was forced to move into a Red Cross shelter and then to a Youngstown housing project. It was through this experience that Horace's life started to change in major ways, when, while attending a Bible study at the housing project's community center, he experienced God's love through Christian songs and hymns.

Currently, even while he depends upon wheelchairs and walkers for mobility, Horace is planning a nationwide bike ride to be called "Ride with Me" designed to draw attention to and eradicate the devastating hunger and poverty that still exists in many areas of the United States, particularly the poverty that exists in many Indian Reservations and communities.