Leo Sidran | |
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Born |
Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
November 27, 1976
Genres | Jazz, Latin, singer-songwriter, pop |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums |
Years active | 1993–present |
Website | leosidran |
Leo Sidran is a musician, composer, performer, and producer whose credits include co-producing the Oscar-winning song "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" for the soundtrack to the movie The Motorcycle Diaries.
Sidran began his career in music early. Having learned to play the drums from funk-jazz percussionist Clyde Stubblefield, he toured as a teenager with veteran rock star Steve Miller.
Sidran grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. His father, Ben Sidran, is a jazz musician, producer and historian. His mother is a weaver. Leo attended the University of Wisconsin, graduating in 1999 with a degree in history and integrated liberal studies. While still in high school, he developed a fascination with Spain and the Spanish language, and moved to Seville for a year in college. He relocated from Madison to Brooklyn in 2005 and has lived there since.
Sidran began playing and writing music at a young age. He wrote his first song, "Pushing and Shoving", when he was six years old, and recorded a demo of the song with his father. The vocal from that demo was later used on the Sidrans' father-son children's music album El Elefante.
His first instrument was the drums, and his first teacher was Clyde Stubblefield. Sidran would later produce Stubblefield's solo record The Original. As a drummer, Sidran has recorded on many of his father's records, including Nick's Bump, Don't Cry For No Hipster, and the Grammy-nominated Concert for Garcia Lorca.
The Steve Miller Band recorded Sidran's songs before he had graduated from high school. Miller, a longtime friend and collaborator with his father, taught Sidran to play the guitar.