Deke Leonard

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Deke Leonard (2015)

Roger "Deke" Leonard (born December 18, 1944 in Llanelli , South Wales ; † January 31, 2017 there ) was a Welsh rock musician (vocals, guitar) and songwriter , who was best known as a member of the bands Man and Iceberg. He published books on the world of rock music.

biography

In the 1960s, Leonard played in various Welsh bands, including Lucifer and the Corncrackers, The Jets, The Blackjacks, The Smokeless Zone, Dream and finally The Bystanders. Some of these bands had appearances on the European mainland, including in the Top Ten Club in Hamburg . Leonard chose his stage name "Deke" at an early age after Deke Rivers, the role of Elvis Presley in his second film Gold from a Hot Throat .

When Leonard joined the Bystanders in 1968, they were just about to give their style a psychedelic direction, and they chose the new band name Man. Leonard recorded two albums with Man, for which he also wrote several pieces. Then he tried a “normal” job, but came back to the band after a strike. After a series of albums, Leonard was forced out of the band in 1972, but was immediately offered the opportunity to record a solo album.

The album Iceberg was released in 1973 and a touring band of the same name was put together. They produced a second album in the same year, Kamikaze , which, however, lagged behind the success of the previous album. Leonard broke up the group and played again in early 1974 with Man, until they broke up in late 1976 after another series of albums.

Leonard recorded another solo album, Before Your Very Eyes , but it wasn't released until 1981. The band Iceberg was revived, but without making new recordings. After intermezzo in various bands, Leonard founded the band The Force with Sean Tyla (formerly with Ducks Deluxe), which released an album of the same name in 1982. After Tyla's departure, it became a new incarnation of Iceberg, which lasted until 1983.

In 1983 Man was brought back to life. Leonard stayed with it until he suffered a minor stroke in 1996. After recovering, he returned to Man in 1997. This time he stayed until 2004 when he decided to revive Iceberg.

In 2002 Leonard put together the album Unfinished Business from demo recordings and outtakes . In 2005 his next solo album Freedom and Chains was released , as was Wireless , a compilation of Iceberg radio shows from the 1970s.

In the course of time, Leonard wrote not only the accompanying texts for various Man albums but also articles for music magazines. In 1996 he published his first book Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics (published in German in 2009), the 2000 Maybe I Should've Stayed in Bed? followed. In 2012 The Twang Dynasty - From Memphis to Merthyr, guitarists that rocked the world was released .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Heathley: A Tribute to Deke Leonard. (pdf, 1390 kB) Northdown Publishing LTD, March 2017, accessed on October 27, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Allmusic, see web links
  3. ↑ a b c d “Background” on Deke Leonard's website, see web links
  4. ↑ biography on the website of Man (English)
personal data
SURNAME Leonard, Deke
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Leonard, Roger (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Welsh rock musician and author
DATE OF BIRTH December 18, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Llanelli , Wales, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH January 31, 2017
Place of death Llanelli , South Wales