John Lees (musician)

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John Lees (* 13. January 1947 in Oldham , Lancashire ) is a British singer , songwriter , composer and guitarist , who as founder and member of the British progressive - rock band Barclay James Harvest was known (BJH).

John Lees (2009)

biography

Barclay James Harvest (BJH)

Lees started playing guitar at the age of 14. He met Woolly Wolstenholme in 1964 while studying at the Oldham School Of Art , and they both formed the school band The Sorcerers , which became the school band The Keepers . Together with him, Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard , he founded the band The Blues Keepers in 1966 , from which the professional group Barclay James Harvest emerged in 1967.

During their time together with Barclay James Harvest, Lees sang - as was the case with BJH founding member Holroyd - usually the 1st voice in the BJH songs he wrote and sometimes acted as 2nd voice in Holroyd's songs.

John Lees' Barclay James Harvest (JLBJH)

In 1998 Barclay James Harvest split up, and Lees has since worked with other musicians and, until his death in 2010, with Wolstenholme (who had left BJH in 1979, but came back in 1998) under the name of John Lees' Barclay James Harvest (JLBJH ) - previously called Barclay James Harvest Through the eyes of John Lees .

solo

In 1974 Lees' first single "Best Of My Love" was released. In 1977, Lees released his only solo album to date, "A Major Fancy", which was recorded in 1972 and only appeared five years later; the single "Child of the Universe" (a song that appeared on the 1974 BJH album " Everyone Is Everybody Else ") was released from the LP . The album was first released on CD in 1999, including three bonus songs, and in 2010 it was released as a remaster double CD, which, in addition to the bonus material from 1999, contains six additional songs.

John Lees and Friends

At the end of April 2012 Lees appeared under the name John Lees and Friends (subtitled "Barclay James Harvest") in the English village of Delph ( Greater Manchester ). He was accompanied by the current JLBJH musicians and also by his son, John Joseph Lees (Cornett), and Monika Domone (12-string guitar, vocals), who runs the “International Barclay James Harvest Fan Club” with Keith Domone. They played six BJH classics plus an instrumental version of “On Leave”, a new JLBJH song that the band is currently recording, and “Share My Yoke”, a song written by Joy Webb (from The Joystrings ; Salvation Army ).

Influence and popular songs

Lees' musical influences include Eric Clapton , Bob Dylan , Joe Walsh and The Eagles .

Well-known BJH songs composed, written and written by Lee include: "Mocking Bird", "Child Of The Universe", "Hymn", "Poor Man's Moody Blues", "Loving Is Easy" and "In Memory Of The Martyrs." ".

Lees is married with a daughter and a son, John Joseph Lees (J. J. Lees).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Lees, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British singer, songwriter, composer and guitarist
DATE OF BIRTH January 13, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Oldham , Lancashire , UK