Deke Leonard
Encyclopedia
Roger "Deke" Leonard is a rock
musician
, "serving a life sentence in the music business." Best known as a member of the progressive rock band Man
, which he joined and left several times, and for fronting his own rock and roll
band Iceberg, which he formed and disbanded several times, he is also an author, raconteur and television panellist.
’s role in his second film Loving You
. Leonard left school to work for a building contractor, which he left to avoid being fired, so became a full-time musician.
The Corncrackers ran their own club, the "L" Club, featuring themselves and other local musicians, whilst also playing support to acts such as Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and The Hollies
at a rival venue. When Rees left they continued as a trio, Keith Hodge then replaced Griffiths, but when Reynolds left to join the South Wales band The Jets, The Corncrackers broke up.
Leonard also joined The Jets, on keyboards, but preferred playing guitar, so reformed The Corncrackers with additional guitarist Brian Breeze, before replacing Vic Oakley as bass player in The Blackjacks, with whom he toured US bases in Europe. On his return, he rejoined The Jets, with Tony "Plum" Hollis on vocals, Martin Ace (bass) and Beau Adams (drums). There were too many Jets on the circuit, so they changed their name to The Smokeless Zone and took residencies in Germany, including Hamburg
's Top Ten Club
where Tony Sheridan
played with them. Adams was replaced by Terry Williams
, but after more European residencies, they disbanded.
Breeze left the Corncrackers, so Leonard rejoined, playing London residences and recording demo
s for EMI & CBS. When Hodge left, Terry Williams joined on drums and Martin Ace as a multi-instrumentalist. The band changed its style to psychedelia and its name to Dream, who, not sure what a "freak-out" was, invented their own with shaving foam and confetti.
In November 1968, Leonard joined The Bystanders, to replace Vic Oakley (again), just as the band changed their musical direction from close harmony pop, to a psychedelic/American west coast style, and their name to Man
.
Leonard initially stayed with Man until they were mixing their second album 2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle
, then left to join his wife in Llanelli. He became productivity manager in a piano factory, but quit having supported a wild-cat strike, and was accepted back into the band whilst Man's original bass player and drummer were replaced by Leonard's former Dream colleagues, Martin Ace and Terry Williams, which some saw as a take-over.
When Ace left in 1972, Leonard was fired by Micky Jones and Williams, but was immediately offered a solo record deal by Man’s A&R
man, Andrew Lauder
. He joined Help Yourself
to avoid them having to cancel a tour, as Malcolm Morley
was ill, but stayed on after Morley rejoined, recording Christmas at the Patti
on 19 December 1972, as support to Man.
), Byron Berline (The Flying Burrito Brothers
), Tommy Riley, Martin Ace, Beau Adams and all of Help Yourself
.
Needing a band to tour and promote the album, he formed the band Iceberg, with former Corncrackers' Brian Breeze (guitar) and Keith Hodge (drums), and ex Help Yourself Paul Burton (bass). The album received good reviews, the single "Hard Way to Live" was on the BBC playlist and was promoted by John Peel
, for whom this Iceberg recorded a Peel Session on 14 May 1973
After touring the album, Martin Ace replaced Burton, and after another tour, Dave Charles
replaced Hodge. This line up recorded the Kamikaze album, with help from Dave Edmunds
, but the album was seen as "a big disappointment".
They recorded another Peel session on 26 November 1973, before Ace was replaced by Help Yourself’s Ken Whaley. They toured supporting Man, during which Micky Jones and Leonard arranged a new Man line-up, so when Man split in December 1973, Leonard disbanded Iceberg.
, the album release was delayed for five years, when EMI
took over United Artists
.
He briefly played with Sean Tyla
(ex Ducks Deluxe
) in the Tyla Gang, appearing on their 1977 album Yachtless, then reformed Iceberg, initially with Lincoln Carr (bass) and Terry Williams. A later line up of Richard Treece (ex Help Yourself) (guitar & bass), B.J. Cole (pedal steel guitar) and Reg Isadore (drums) evolved into Leonard, Howard Hughes (piano) and Anthony Stone (drums) who performed another Peel Session on 15 February 1978
Also in 1978, Leonard, Big George and Pete Thomas
helped Larry Wallis
record an album, to be called Leather Forever, but the album was shelved, although some tracks were later released on "Pink Fairies and Deviants" compilation albums Hams (Vol 2) and Hogwash.
Leonard briefly moved to the USA in 1981, where he worked on Walter Egan
's album The Last Stroll, before rejoining Sean Tyla to form The Force with Micky Groome
(bass) and Paul Simmons
(drums). After extensive touring, they recorded an eponymous album, The Force but Tyla suffered severe stage fright and left the band, which became another Iceberg.
. Man played as a trio until he recovered, and rejoined them in 1997.
In 2002 Leonard issued Unfinished Business a CD of demos, rejects and out-takes. Later that year Micky Jones had several operations on a brain tumour, but in 2004, when Jones had recovered enough to rejoin, Leonard decided to leave Man again.
after their first gig, and died shortly after, being replaced by Brian Breeze, who was in turn replaced by Ray "Taff" Williams (not Ray Williams, the original Man bass player, who died in 1993).
In 2004, Leonard also recorded a solo album Freedom and Chains, the studio time being sponsored by 56 "Angels" who are credited in the sleeve-notes; and in 2005, a collection of Iceberg recordings for 1970s radio shows, including John Peel, was released as Wireless.
. In 2003, The Fiction Factory acquired the film rights to both books. As of 2009, he is writing a third book.
Leonard read extracts from the books for a series of BBC
radio programmes It's Crazy Man which were nominated for a Sony Radio Academy
"Special Music Award" in 2006. He has also toured a one-man show, retelling selections of his rock and roll anecdotes, interspersed with songs.
Leonard has also appeared as panellist, commentator and narrator on several television and radio programmes including: Pub Rock Quiz, Rock Of Ages, Dragons Breath (a history of Welsh rock music), Tales Of The Road and Juke Box Heroes.
The Tyla Gang
Walter Egan
The Force
The Flying Aces
Larry Wallis
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, "serving a life sentence in the music business." Best known as a member of the progressive rock band Man
Man (band)
Man are a rock band from South Wales whose style is a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues and country-rock. Formed in 1968 as a reincarnation of Welsh rock harmony group ‘’The Bystanders’’, Man are renowned for the extended jams in their live performances, and having had...
, which he joined and left several times, and for fronting his own rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band Iceberg, which he formed and disbanded several times, he is also an author, raconteur and television panellist.
Early life
He formed his first band Lucifer and the Corncrackers in 1962, with Mike Rees (vocals), Geoff Griffiths (drums) and Clive “Wes” Reynolds (bass), whilst still at Llanelli Grammar School, choosing his stage name from "Deke" Rivers, Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
’s role in his second film Loving You
Loving You
Loving You is an American motion picture directed by Hal Kanter, released by Paramount Pictures on July 9, 1957. The film stars Elvis Presley, Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey...
. Leonard left school to work for a building contractor, which he left to avoid being fired, so became a full-time musician.
The Corncrackers ran their own club, the "L" Club, featuring themselves and other local musicians, whilst also playing support to acts such as Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
at a rival venue. When Rees left they continued as a trio, Keith Hodge then replaced Griffiths, but when Reynolds left to join the South Wales band The Jets, The Corncrackers broke up.
Leonard also joined The Jets, on keyboards, but preferred playing guitar, so reformed The Corncrackers with additional guitarist Brian Breeze, before replacing Vic Oakley as bass player in The Blackjacks, with whom he toured US bases in Europe. On his return, he rejoined The Jets, with Tony "Plum" Hollis on vocals, Martin Ace (bass) and Beau Adams (drums). There were too many Jets on the circuit, so they changed their name to The Smokeless Zone and took residencies in Germany, including Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
's Top Ten Club
Top Ten Club
The Top Ten Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany owned by Peter Eckhorn. The address in Hamburg area St. Pauli was 136 Reeperbahn.-Musicians who have played here:...
where Tony Sheridan
Tony Sheridan
Tony Sheridan , is an English rock and roll singer-songwriter and guitarist...
played with them. Adams was replaced by Terry Williams
Terry Williams (drummer)
Terrence "Terry" Williams is a Welsh rock drummer, whose resume includes work for Dire Straits, B. B. King, and Bob Dylan....
, but after more European residencies, they disbanded.
Breeze left the Corncrackers, so Leonard rejoined, playing London residences and recording demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
s for EMI & CBS. When Hodge left, Terry Williams joined on drums and Martin Ace as a multi-instrumentalist. The band changed its style to psychedelia and its name to Dream, who, not sure what a "freak-out" was, invented their own with shaving foam and confetti.
In November 1968, Leonard joined The Bystanders, to replace Vic Oakley (again), just as the band changed their musical direction from close harmony pop, to a psychedelic/American west coast style, and their name to Man
Man (band)
Man are a rock band from South Wales whose style is a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues and country-rock. Formed in 1968 as a reincarnation of Welsh rock harmony group ‘’The Bystanders’’, Man are renowned for the extended jams in their live performances, and having had...
.
Man
For main article see ManMan (band)
Man are a rock band from South Wales whose style is a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues and country-rock. Formed in 1968 as a reincarnation of Welsh rock harmony group ‘’The Bystanders’’, Man are renowned for the extended jams in their live performances, and having had...
Leonard initially stayed with Man until they were mixing their second album 2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle
2 Ozs of Plastic with a Hole in the Middle
-Side two:-Personnel:*Clive John – guitar, keyboards, vocals*Jeff Jones – drums*Micky Jones – guitar, vocals*Deke Leonard – guitar, vocals*Ray "Taff" Williams – bass-Credits:*Producer, Supervisor – John Schroeder...
, then left to join his wife in Llanelli. He became productivity manager in a piano factory, but quit having supported a wild-cat strike, and was accepted back into the band whilst Man's original bass player and drummer were replaced by Leonard's former Dream colleagues, Martin Ace and Terry Williams, which some saw as a take-over.
When Ace left in 1972, Leonard was fired by Micky Jones and Williams, but was immediately offered a solo record deal by Man’s A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man, Andrew Lauder
Andrew Lauder (music executive)
Andrew Lauder is a record company executive and former A&R manager. Initially noted for his adventurous signings of bands as diverse as Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Can, Hawkwind and Brinsley Schwarz to Liberty Records and United Artists Records in the 1960s and 70s, he went on to form numerous...
. He joined Help Yourself
Help Yourself (band)
Help Yourself, known to their fans as "The Helps", were an English rock band of the early 1970s whose style developed from “American-flavoured country-rock… …to acid-drenched psych.”.-History:...
to avoid them having to cancel a tour, as Malcolm Morley
Malcolm Morley (musician)
Malcolm Morley is a British rock singer, guitarist and keyboard player who came to fame in the 1970s. Best known as a founder of Help Yourself and as a member of Man, he continues to perform to this day.-Early career:...
was ill, but stayed on after Morley rejoined, recording Christmas at the Patti
Christmas at the Patti
Christmas at the Patti is a live album, recorded at Man's Christmas party, held at the Patti Pavilion, Swansea, on 19 December 1972. 'The album features Man and Help Yourself with guests Deke Leonard, Dave Edmunds and B J Cole, together with appearances by Ducks Deluxe, The Jets, The Flying Aces...
on 19 December 1972, as support to Man.
Iceberg
Leonard recorded his first 'solo' album Iceberg, with Micky Gibbons (BadfingerBadfinger
Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,...
), Byron Berline (The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
), Tommy Riley, Martin Ace, Beau Adams and all of Help Yourself
Help Yourself (band)
Help Yourself, known to their fans as "The Helps", were an English rock band of the early 1970s whose style developed from “American-flavoured country-rock… …to acid-drenched psych.”.-History:...
.
Needing a band to tour and promote the album, he formed the band Iceberg, with former Corncrackers' Brian Breeze (guitar) and Keith Hodge (drums), and ex Help Yourself Paul Burton (bass). The album received good reviews, the single "Hard Way to Live" was on the BBC playlist and was promoted by John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, for whom this Iceberg recorded a Peel Session on 14 May 1973
After touring the album, Martin Ace replaced Burton, and after another tour, Dave Charles
Dave Charles
Dave Charles, also known as David Charles is a British drummer, recording engineer & record producer. He often appears under both names on the same album, e.g. Help Yourself's The Return of Ken Whaley, where Dave Charles is credited with drums and vocals and David Charles as producer.Charles'...
replaced Hodge. This line up recorded the Kamikaze album, with help from Dave Edmunds
Dave Edmunds
David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
, but the album was seen as "a big disappointment".
They recorded another Peel session on 26 November 1973, before Ace was replaced by Help Yourself’s Ken Whaley. They toured supporting Man, during which Micky Jones and Leonard arranged a new Man line-up, so when Man split in December 1973, Leonard disbanded Iceberg.
Man again
Leonard rejoined Man in January 1974, bringing Malcolm Morley and Ken Whaley with him. He stayed until Man disbanded in December 1976, playing on all the albums from Rhinos, Winos, and Lunatics to All's Well That Ends Well.Iceberg again
When Man disbanded, Leonard still had a solo record contract, so recorded Before Your Very Eyes, with Martin Ace, Terry Williams and others. Produced by Martin RushentMartin Rushent
Martin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...
, the album release was delayed for five years, when EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
took over United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
.
He briefly played with Sean Tyla
Sean Tyla
Sean Tyla is an English rock guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter, sometimes known as the “Godfather of Boogie”...
(ex Ducks Deluxe
Ducks Deluxe
Ducks Deluxe were an English pub rock band of the 1970s, who have recently reformed. Usually called "The Ducks" by their fans, they were known for up-tempo, energetic performances, and the successful careers of their members, after they disbanded.-History:...
) in the Tyla Gang, appearing on their 1977 album Yachtless, then reformed Iceberg, initially with Lincoln Carr (bass) and Terry Williams. A later line up of Richard Treece (ex Help Yourself) (guitar & bass), B.J. Cole (pedal steel guitar) and Reg Isadore (drums) evolved into Leonard, Howard Hughes (piano) and Anthony Stone (drums) who performed another Peel Session on 15 February 1978
Also in 1978, Leonard, Big George and Pete Thomas
Pete Thomas
Pete Thomas is best known as the longtime drummer for Elvis Costello. Tom Waits has referred to him as "one of the best rock drummers alive".-Career:...
helped Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis
Larry Wallis is a guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead.-Early bands:...
record an album, to be called Leather Forever, but the album was shelved, although some tracks were later released on "Pink Fairies and Deviants" compilation albums Hams (Vol 2) and Hogwash.
Leonard briefly moved to the USA in 1981, where he worked on Walter Egan
Walter Egan
Walter Egan is an American rock musician, best known for his 1978 gold status hit single "Magnet and Steel" from his album Not Shy, produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut of Fleetwood Mac fame...
's album The Last Stroll, before rejoining Sean Tyla to form The Force with Micky Groome
Micky Groome
Micky Groome is an English bassist, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer.- Early life and career :...
(bass) and Paul Simmons
Paul Simmons
Paul Simmons is an American drummer. Currently, he is the drummer for the Reverend Horton HeatHe is previously most well known as the drummer for Th' Legendary Shack Shakers from 2003 to 2005. He was also the drummer in Christian rock band Petra from 2003 until their retirement in 2005...
(drums). After extensive touring, they recorded an eponymous album, The Force but Tyla suffered severe stage fright and left the band, which became another Iceberg.
Man reform
In 1983 Leonard disbanded Iceberg again, to join the reforming Man, playing with them until 1996, when he suffered a minor strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Man played as a trio until he recovered, and rejoined them in 1997.
In 2002 Leonard issued Unfinished Business a CD of demos, rejects and out-takes. Later that year Micky Jones had several operations on a brain tumour, but in 2004, when Jones had recovered enough to rejoin, Leonard decided to leave Man again.
Later Icebergs
In 2004, Leonard formed another Iceberg, with former Man bassist Will Youatt, guitarist Clive "Snob" Roberts and Bob Richards (who continued drumming with Man). Roberts was diagnosed with lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
after their first gig, and died shortly after, being replaced by Brian Breeze, who was in turn replaced by Ray "Taff" Williams (not Ray Williams, the original Man bass player, who died in 1993).
In 2004, Leonard also recorded a solo album Freedom and Chains, the studio time being sponsored by 56 "Angels" who are credited in the sleeve-notes; and in 2005, a collection of Iceberg recordings for 1970s radio shows, including John Peel, was released as Wireless.
Writer and raconteur
Leonard started his writing career with sleeve notes for the 1970s Man albums. After Man disbanded he wrote articles and reviews for Vox, Studio Week and other music magazines. His first autobiographical book Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics (1996) had limited sales, but his second book Maybe I Should’ve Stayed in Bed? (2000) received very good reviews, prompting a second edition of the first book, which has since been translated into GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. In 2003, The Fiction Factory acquired the film rights to both books. As of 2009, he is writing a third book.
Leonard read extracts from the books for a series of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio programmes It's Crazy Man which were nominated for a Sony Radio Academy
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
"Special Music Award" in 2006. He has also toured a one-man show, retelling selections of his rock and roll anecdotes, interspersed with songs.
Leonard has also appeared as panellist, commentator and narrator on several television and radio programmes including: Pub Rock Quiz, Rock Of Ages, Dragons Breath (a history of Welsh rock music), Tales Of The Road and Juke Box Heroes.
Iceberg and solo albums
- Iceberg (1973) LP United Artists UAG 29464 - CD (Re-issued as double CD with Kamikaze) BGO Records, BGOCD288
- Kamikaze (1974) LP United Artists UAG 29544 - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#50 CD (Re-issued as double CD with Iceberg) BGO Records, BGOCD288 - Before Your Very Eyes (1981) BGO Records, BGO CD 14
- Unfinished Business (2002) Northdown Records, RGF DL501
- Wireless (2005) (Radio shows recorded in the 1970s) CD Hux HUX064
- Freedom and Chains (2005) Angel Air SJPCD197
With others
Help Yourself- Christmas at the PattiChristmas at the PattiChristmas at the Patti is a live album, recorded at Man's Christmas party, held at the Patti Pavilion, Swansea, on 19 December 1972. 'The album features Man and Help Yourself with guests Deke Leonard, Dave Edmunds and B J Cole, together with appearances by Ducks Deluxe, The Jets, The Flying Aces...
(1973)
The Tyla Gang
- Yachtless (1977)
Walter Egan
- The Last Stroll (1981)
The Force
- The Force (1982) Zilch Records (Germany) 2374 195
The Flying Aces
- Seashell (2002)
Larry Wallis
- Hams (Vol 2) (2000) (Pink Fairies and Deviants Compilation)
- Hogwash (2003) (Pink Fairies and Deviants Compilation)