Jim Leverton | |
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 Jim Leverton (2012) | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 6 June 1946 Dover, Kent, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Formerly of | |
Jim Leverton (born 6 June 1946, Dover, Kent, England) is an English professional musician, with a career spanning nearly fifty years, including as a sidesman to the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Noel Redding, Steve Marriott, Blodwyn Pig and the Canterbury scene band Caravan.
After leaving school in Folkestone in 1964, Leverton spent a short while as an apprentice bricklayer but it was not long before he decided his future was as a musician. By the early 1960s he was already working in semi-professional beat groups in and around Dover, including The Big Beats (1962–63).
By 1964 he was ready to work full-time in music, and joined The Burnettes from Folkestone who had Leverton's friend Noel Redding on guitar. They broke up 18 months later having released two singles. Leverton soon joined another band with Noel Redding, The Loving Kind (1965–67) formerly The Lonely Ones. They released three singles for Pye Records including a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar". Redding left the band to join the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but The Loving Kind continued for a while and Leverton worked as a session musician with Tom Jones, Gilbert O'Sullivan and Engelbert Humperdinck.
When Redding formed his new band Fat Mattress (1968–70) he was reunited with Leverton [3] alongside Neil Landon (vocals) and Eric Dillon (drums). [4] The band toured America and released two albums. [5] [6]
Leverton joined Juicy Lucy [7] (1971) but left after their tour of America to take a few months rest. He was soon back at work, this time with Ellis (1972) fronted by the former Love Affair singer, Steve Ellis, and including keyboard player Zoot Money. Next came two years with Hemlock (1972-3) led by Miller Anderson. Their album Hemlock was released on Deram Records in 1973 and the band toured the UK, Europe and America.
He moved on to work on a solo album for Henry McCullough leading to a lifelong friendship. He also gigged with singer Frankie Miller before joining Savoy Brown (1974) touring the States and releasing the album Boogie Brothers. [8] In 1975 he spent some time with Leo Sayer's band before joining Joe Brown and the Bruvvers (1976–77) and linking up again with Zoot Money.
In 1978, Steve Marriott a long-time friend of Joe Brown went to one of their gigs. He needed a bass player/vocalist, heard Leverton and persuaded Leverton and Brown that they should join Steve Marriott and Blind Drunk (1978–79). That was the start of a long working relationship with Marriott until his death in 1991. Marriott and Leverton were together in a succession of Marriott led bands, including Steve Marriott and Packet of Three (1980-1991). The album Majik Mijits [9] was recorded with Marriott and Ronnie Lane and was released in 2000. A number of live albums are also still available today.
Ine the 1990s, Leverton briefly joined the reformed Blodwyn Pig and subsequently played with Rory Gallagher from 1992. [10] He then met Geoffrey Richardson. They started a long and successful gigging partnership, and they recorded their first album Follow Your Heart in 1996. Meanwhile, in 1995 Richardson, who had been with Caravan since the early 1970s, suggested Leverton as a replacement. [11]
Leverton continues to play with Caravan and with The Blue Devils [12] in Kent. He also plays bass with Rocky and the Natives [13] alongside Andy Newmark (drums), Chris Godden (guitar), Malcolm Barnard (vocals) and Geoffrey Richardson (violin) and produced their debut album Let’s Hear it for the Old Guys in 2013.
Noel David Redding was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress.
John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell was an English drummer and child actor, best known for his work in the Jimi Hendrix Experience, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2016, Mitchell was ranked number 8 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time".
Electric Ladyland is the third and final studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968. A double album, it was the only record from the Experience with production solely credited to Hendrix. The band's most commercially successful release and its only number one album, it was released by Reprise Records in the United States on October 16, 1968, and by Track Records in the UK nine days later. By mid-November, it had reached number 1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, spending two weeks there. In the UK it peaked at number 6, where it spent 12 weeks on the British charts.
Stephen Peter Marriott was an English musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded and played in the rock bands Small Faces and Humble Pie, in a career spanning over 20 years. Marriott was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces.
Caravan are an English rock band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings, and Richard Coughlan in 1968. The band have never achieved the great commercial success that was widely predicted for them at the beginning of their career, but are nevertheless considered a key part of the Canterbury scene of progressive rock acts, blending psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical influences to create a distinctive sound.
Christopher Gordon Blandford Wood was a British rock musician, best known as a founding member of the rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason.
Mick Weaver is an English session musician, best known for his playing of the Hammond B3 organ.
Peter Geoffrey Richardson, is a British viola player and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work with Caravan, Murray Head and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
Alan Douglas Rubenstein was an American record producer from Boston, who worked with Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Lenny Bruce and the Last Poets. He ran his own record label, Douglas Records.
The Unauthorised Breakfast Item is the thirteenth studio album by progressive rock band Caravan, released in 2003.
Neil Landon was an English singer, who has been credited with singing on a number of hits in the UK Singles Chart. In addition, he was a singer and songwriter with the band Fat Mattress, which he co-founded with guitarist/singer Noel Redding.
Fat Mattress were an English rock band that formed in Folkestone in 1968. Founded by guitarist and vocalist Noel Redding, during his time as bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and vocalist Neil Landon, the band was completed by multi-instrumentalist Jim Leverton, drummer Eric Dillon and keyboardist Mick Weaver. The band released two albums – Fat Mattress and Fat Mattress II – before splitting up in 1970.
Fat Mattress is the debut self-titled studio album by English rock band Fat Mattress, released on 15 August 1969.
Fat Mattress II is the second and final studio album by English rock band Fat Mattress, released in 1970.
Road was an American hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1970. Comprising bassist/vocalist Noel Redding, guitarist/vocalist Rod Richards and drummer/vocalist Leslie Sampson, the band released one album, Road, in 1972.
Toby Marriott is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the bands The Strays and Black Drummer. He is the only son of Steve Marriott who fronted the bands Small Faces, and Humble Pie in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Legendary Majik Mijits is an album by former Small Faces members Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. It was recorded when they reformed under the name of Majik Mijits in 1981 and gave a one-off concert at the Bridgehouse pub in East London. The lineup included Jim Leverton, Mick Green, Mick Weaver, Dave Hynes and Sam Brown.
Rocky and the Natives are an English country rock band, formed in 2011 in Kent. The band is composed of songwriter/musicians Chris Godden and Malcolm Barnard (vocals) and featuring Jim Leverton (bass), Andy Newmark (drums) and Geoffrey Richardson.
Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 is a live album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was recorded during the group's last North American tour and includes a mix of popular Experience album songs along with some instrumentals. The album is the first full live release by the trio with Hendrix, Noel Redding, and Mitch Mitchell since 2013's Miami Pop Festival.
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