Chris Leslie
Encyclopedia
Christopher Julien Leslie (born 15 December 1956, in Banbury
, Oxfordshire
, England
) is an English electric folk
musician.
, Oxfordshire
. His brother John steered him toward The Watersons
' Frost and Fire, Dave Swarbrick
, and The Corries
. In 1969 he began to teach himself fiddle
and modelled himself on the fiddle-playing of Dave Swarbrick of Fairport Convention
, Peter Knight of Steeleye Span
, and Barry Dransfield
.
Leslie made his first recording at the age of 16, with a Banbury based electric folk band and then went on to forge a successful career around the folk clubs with his brother John - cutting their first album, "The Ship Of Time" in 1976. During this period he was also the fiddle player for The Hookey Band and a member of the morris dancers at Adderbury. It was around this time that he first came to the attention of Fairport's Dave Pegg
.
From 1981-1983 Chris Leslie studied violin making, under the watchful eye of maker Patrick Jowett, at the Newark School of Violin Making in Nottinghamshire, England. He currently (2010) plays the second fiddle he made at Newark on stage with Fairport Convention
and as well as his other bands.
, the Albion Band, All About Eve
, Simon Mayor
and Ian Anderson
(of Jethro Tull
). In 1981 he contributed to a cassette tape produced by CND. It was called "Demo Tape" and had limited distribution. Also on the tape were songs by Fairport Convention. At the Cropredy Festival 1981, Steve Ashley and Chris Leslie performed as a duo. In 1983 he contributed to "More Demo Tapes", again a cassette for CND. He accompanied Steve Ashley on the song "Down By the Embankment" on the album "All Through The Year" (1991). This was a compilation of original tracks. He appeared on "People on the Highway" (Bert Jansch
tribute album, 2000). There were other appearances on Steve Ashley albums (see discography). In 2003, Chris played violin on several tracks from Mostly Autumn
's album Passengers. In late 2007 he recorded violin and mandolin parts on Dan Crisp's debut album 'Far From Here'.
, Dave Pegg
, Ashley Hutchings
and Ric Sanders
. However, each of these artists appears only in a sequence of duos with Leslie. He has also recorded a collaboration with Ashley Hutchings - Grandson of Morris On (2004).
In 2002 Chris took part in "A Feast of Fiddles" - a collaboration with Peter Knight
, Tom Leary (The Hookey Band), Ian Cutler, Phil Beer
(Show of Hands
) and Brian McNeill
(The Battlefield Band
).
In 2009, Leslie worked with Ozark to design his own signature f-style mandolin. Ozark have recently put the new mandolins on the market. Leslie himself plays the mandolin on stage with Fairport Convention
and St Agnes Fountain.
Appearances with Steve Ashley
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is an English electric folk
Electric folk
Electric folk is the name given to the form of folk rock pioneered in England from the late 1960s, and most significant in the 1970s, which then was taken up and developed in the surrounding Celtic cultures of Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, to produce Celtic rock and its...
musician.
Early years
Leslie grew up in BanburyBanbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. His brother John steered him toward The Watersons
The Watersons
The Watersons were an English folk group from Hull, Yorkshire. They performed mainly traditional songs with little or no accompaniment. Their distinctive sound came from their closely woven harmonies.-Career:...
' Frost and Fire, Dave Swarbrick
Dave Swarbrick
Dave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him...
, and The Corries
The Corries
The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. Although the group was a trio in the early days, it was as the partnership of Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne that it is best known.-Early years:...
. In 1969 he began to teach himself fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and modelled himself on the fiddle-playing of Dave Swarbrick of Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
, Peter Knight of Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
, and Barry Dransfield
Barry Dransfield
Barry Dransfield is an English folk singer, fiddler, cellist and guitarist. He has appeared as a session musician on numerous albums by other artists, and has released his own albums as well. Lord of All I Behold was voted Melody Maker folk album of the year...
.
Leslie made his first recording at the age of 16, with a Banbury based electric folk band and then went on to forge a successful career around the folk clubs with his brother John - cutting their first album, "The Ship Of Time" in 1976. During this period he was also the fiddle player for The Hookey Band and a member of the morris dancers at Adderbury. It was around this time that he first came to the attention of Fairport's Dave Pegg
Dave Pegg
Dave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
.
From 1981-1983 Chris Leslie studied violin making, under the watchful eye of maker Patrick Jowett, at the Newark School of Violin Making in Nottinghamshire, England. He currently (2010) plays the second fiddle he made at Newark on stage with Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
and as well as his other bands.
Session work
Since then he has worked with WhippersnapperWhippersnapper (band)
Whippersnapper was an English folk band formed in 1984, consisting of Dave Swarbrick , Chris Leslie , Kevin Dempsey and Martin Jenkins ....
, the Albion Band, All About Eve
All About Eve (band)
All About Eve were a British rock/pop band. The creative core consisted of the Coventry born Julianne Regan , and the Huddersfield born Andy Cousin , with other members changing over the years...
, Simon Mayor
Simon Mayor
Simon Mayor is a mandolinist and fiddle player, guitarist, and composer.- Works :With his solo debut The Mandolin Album in 1990 he embarked on a series of recordings to give the mandolin a uniquely British voice. The CD was made Recording of the Week on BBC Radio 2...
and Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson (musician)
Ian Scott Anderson, MBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.-Early life:...
(of Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
). In 1981 he contributed to a cassette tape produced by CND. It was called "Demo Tape" and had limited distribution. Also on the tape were songs by Fairport Convention. At the Cropredy Festival 1981, Steve Ashley and Chris Leslie performed as a duo. In 1983 he contributed to "More Demo Tapes", again a cassette for CND. He accompanied Steve Ashley on the song "Down By the Embankment" on the album "All Through The Year" (1991). This was a compilation of original tracks. He appeared on "People on the Highway" (Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
tribute album, 2000). There were other appearances on Steve Ashley albums (see discography). In 2003, Chris played violin on several tracks from Mostly Autumn
Mostly Autumn
Mostly Autumn is a British band, producing music heavily influenced by classic 1970s rock. The group formed in 1996, and have built their reputation through constant touring, never signing to a major label. The group's early influences were Genesis, Renaissance and Pink Floyd, and folk music...
's album Passengers. In late 2007 he recorded violin and mandolin parts on Dan Crisp's debut album 'Far From Here'.
With Fairport and solo albums
In 1997 he joined Fairport Convention as singer and multi-instrumentalist. He has recorded three solo albums - The Flow, The Gift and Dancing Days (2004). At first sight Dancing Days appears to be a Fairport Convention album, as it features Simon NicolSimon Nicol
Simon John Breckenridge Nicol is a guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founder member of British folk rock, or electric folk group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band...
, Dave Pegg
Dave Pegg
Dave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
, Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Hutchings
Ashley Stephen Hutchings is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founder member of three of the most noteworthy English folk-rock bands in the history of the genre; Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band...
and Ric Sanders
Ric Sanders
Richard 'Ric' Sanders is a British violinist who has played in jazz-rock, folk rock, electric folk and folk groups, including Soft Machine and Fairport Convention.-Biography:...
. However, each of these artists appears only in a sequence of duos with Leslie. He has also recorded a collaboration with Ashley Hutchings - Grandson of Morris On (2004).
In 2002 Chris took part in "A Feast of Fiddles" - a collaboration with Peter Knight
Peter Knight
Peter Knight is a folk musician, member of the electric folk group Steeleye Span.Peter Knight was born in London on 27 May 1947. As a child he learned the violin and mandolin before going to the Royal Academy of Music from 1960 to 1964. The recordings of the Irish fiddler Michael Coleman inspired...
, Tom Leary (The Hookey Band), Ian Cutler, Phil Beer
Phil Beer
Phil Beer is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and one half of English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.-Biography:...
(Show of Hands
Show of Hands
Show of Hands is an English acoustic roots and folk duo comprising singer-songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer. In recent years they have been accompanied on tour and in the studio by jazz double-bassist Miranda Sykes.-Origins:...
) and Brian McNeill
Brian McNeill
Brian McNeill is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of The Battlefield Band which combined traditional celtic melodies and new material....
(The Battlefield Band
Battlefield Band
Battlefield Band is a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, there are no founder members in the band....
).
In 2009, Leslie worked with Ozark to design his own signature f-style mandolin. Ozark have recently put the new mandolins on the market. Leslie himself plays the mandolin on stage with Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
and St Agnes Fountain.
Discography
- The FlowThe FlowThe Flow is an album by Chris Leslie released in 1997This album is mostly instrumental. Although Chris Leslie is best known for his fiddle playing in Fairport Convention, these cuts sound nothing like Fairport. Some of it sounds like music of Thailand or Tibet, and other parts sound jazzy or new...
(1997) - The Gift (1994)
- Dancing DaysDancing Days (Chris Leslie album)Dancing Days is an album by Chris Leslie, released in 2004.Compared to Chris Leslie's earlier album The Flow, this is much more of a recognisable instrumental folk-rock effort. Occasionally Chris drifts off into a reverie that sounds like a monastery in Tibet, but this is less obvious than before...
(2004)
Appearances with Steve Ashley
- The Test of Time (1999),
- Everyday Lives (2001)
- Live In Concert (2006).
External links
- The Hookey Band
- Adderbury Morris tunes, including two written and performed by Chris Leslie
- Chris Leslie Signature 'F Model' Ozark Mandolin
- Chris Leslie on CND tapes