keep the blues alive
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Marc Leon
- Male
- Bendigo, Vic. Australia
- Australia
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Marc Leon's Page
Profile Information
- Relation to Blues music:
- Blues Band Member
- I play or do:
- Guitars, Bass, Vocals
- About Me:
- My musical career began in 1960 as lead singer in local Rock & Roll bands. I taught myself to play guitar, started to write songs and by 1964, my band, The D-Men, was signed up by CBS to record three 45RPM singles, featuring four of my songs. These records were successful in the Sydney charts and the group's popularity was further boosted with regular appearences on National TV, as well as tours with the Aztecs and the Easybeats.
By 1966, my musical interests shifted towards Jazz, Blues and R&B (Soul). I was influenced by musicians such as Ray Charles, BB King, Wes Montgomery and the Soul artists who recorded for the "Stax" label. One of my demo tapes caught the attention of EMI producer David Mackay, who produced two singles for me on HMV. These records received excellent reviews.
I had the opportunity to turn professional, when I moved to Melbourne in 1968 to join the Vibrants, a Rock band with three number one hit records. The band broke up six months later and I formed "Graduate" with two other Vibrants members, to play a diverse range of music, including Jazz, Blues, Latin and Rock. Graduate survived in various line-ups for 10 years. Often featuring a female singer out front, the band's extensive tour schedule included all Australian states, as well as six months
in S.E. Asia.
Over the years, I have shared the stage with many International acts like The Kinks, Mungo Jerry, Bee Gees, Jose Feliciano, Fairport Convention, Burl Ives and Roberta Flack. I was also in demand as a studio session musician, as well as guitarist and musical director for a number of Australia's Top Celebrities, including John Farnham, Colleen Hewett, Normie Rowe and John St. Peters. I also taught guitar for many years in music schools and my home studio.
Some of my songs have made it into the finals of the American Song Festival (1976) and the MBAS Blues Performer Of The Year contest (1995).
Currently I perform with *The Old Buzzards Medicine Show*, as well as a soloist on acoustic guitar.
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