Greg Leisz

Greg Leisz
Leisz playing mandolin in Eric Clapton's band
Background information
Birth name	Gregory Brian Leisz
Born	(1949-09-18) September 18, 1949 (age 67) Buffalo, New York, United States
Genres	Rock, folk, country, pop, jazz, blues, acoustic
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, recording artist, record producer
Instruments	Lap steel, pedal steel guitar, guitar, dobro, mandolin
Years active	Mid-1960s–present
Associated acts	The Crash Test Dummies k.d. lang, Matthew Sweet, Bill Frisell, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Peter Case, Joe Cocker, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, John Mayer, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Loudon Wainwright III

Gregory Brian Leisz (pronounced "Lease") (born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steel guitar.

Leisz grew up in the garage band culture of mid-1960s Southern California. He frequented the Ashgrove, the Troubador, and clubs on the Sunset Strip where he heard the rich milieu of musical acts of the time. He began playing guitar and soon added dobro and lap steel to his repertoire. He was inspired to pick up the pedal steel after hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Buddy Emmons, and other steel players.

In 1975, he toured with John Stewart (formerly of The Kingston Trio).

He was a member of Funky Kings who released their eponymous debut album on Clive Davis’ Arista label in 1976. After the band broke up, he became a much sought-after artist both in the studio and on the road.

In 1987, he began working with Dave Alvin (formerly of The Blasters). Their collaboration led to Leisz producing several of Alvin's albums including King of California, Black Jack David, Ashgrove, and West of the West.

In 1989, Leisz played on k.d. lang’s Grammy-winning Absolute Torch and Twang, and joined her on the resulting tour. For the following 18 years he was a mainstay of her touring and recording bands, including 1992's Ingenue.