Deke Leonard
| Deke Leonard | |
|---|---|
Deke Leonard playing with Son of Man at Dagenham on 12 September 2015
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roger Leonard |
| Born |
18 December 1944 Llanelli, South Wales |
| Died | 31 January 2017 (aged 72) |
| Genres | Rock Rock and Roll Psychedelic rock Progressive rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, author, raconteur |
| Instruments | Guitar, keyboards |
| Years active | 1962–2016 |
| Associated acts | Man, Iceberg, Help Yourself, The Force |
| Website | www |
| Notable instruments | |
| 1977 Fender Telecaster 1968 Gibson SG Custom |
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Roger "Deke" Leonard (18 December 1944 – 31 January 2017) was a Welsh 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 was also an author, raconteur and television panellist.
Leonard was born in Llanelli, South Wales. He formed his first band, Lucifer and the Corncrackers, with Mike Rees (vocals), Geoff Griffiths (drums) and Clive "Wes" Reynolds (bass), in 1962, whilst still at Llanelli Grammar School, taking his stage name from "Deke" Rivers, the character played by Elvis Presley 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 other bands named The Jets on the circuit, so they changed their name to The Smokeless Zone and took residencies in Germany, including one at Hamburg's Top Ten Club where Tony Sheridan played with them. Adams was replaced by Terry Williams, but after more European residencies, they disbanded.
When Breeze left the Corncrackers, Leonard rejoined, playing London residences and recording demos 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; not sure what a "freak-out" was, they invented their own with shaving foam and confetti.
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Wikipedia