“Music has been the center of my universe for as long as I can remember. It helps me feel centered — puts me in touch with my feelings. Music brings joy at times, comforts me when I’m sad, gives me a way to express love/ anger/ frustration...”

Karen Leipziger: Music City’s Heartbeat

Karen Leipziger, through her publicity company KL Productions, has been actively supporting and promoting her artists for well over two and half decades. Since forming her publicity company KL Productions in the mid ’90s, Karen’s clients have included: Pete Anderson, Lowrider Band (featuring founding members of the band War), Heritage Blues Orchestra, Delbert McClinton, Corky Siegel, Bob Margolin, Duke Robillard, Eddy ‘The Chief’ Clearwater, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Walter Trout, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Lurrie Bell, Danny Gatton, The Nighthawks, Joey DeFrancesco and Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, John Wesley Harding, Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets, Ann Rabson, Debbie Davies, Mark Hummel, Jimbo Mathus, CeDell Davis, Ronnie Earl, The Holmes Brothers, Dick Waterman, Curtis Salgado, Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne, Jason Ricci, Ana Popovic, Mike Zito, Paul Oscher, Jimmy ‘T99’ Nelson, Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith and many other musicians and authors. Karen is KBA Award winning publicist (2007) and Grammy/BMA nominated songwriter (“Before This Song Is Over”, “Winds Of Change” / Eddy Clearwater). Through her tireless efforts, Karen’s clients have been seen in everything from music and consumer publications to major daily newspapers, Blues society newsletters, weekly alternative papers, and heard and seen on radio and TV programs.                                      (Photo: Karen Leipziger of Nashville’s KL Productions)

Prior to forming KL Productions, Karen worked with Concerted Efforts booking agency in Boston (Gatemouth Brown, Buckwheat Zydeco, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson, Eddy Clearwater - the showcase room Nightstage in Cambridge, MA for Etta James, Otis Clay, Clifton Chenier, Astor Piazzolla, Dizzy Gillespie) and the band Aerosmith’s management team Collins Associates in the publicity department. In addition, Karen served on the NAMMY nominating committee for 3 years, The Blues FoundationBoard of Directors from 2004-2007, Nashville’s songwriter festival Tin Pan South coordinating committee for several years, and booked the Nashville-based venue The Sutler from 1993-97 (Shelby Lynne, Luther Allison, The Holmes Brothers).

Interview by Michael Limnios

How has the music influenced your views of the world? How does music affect your mood and inspiration?

Music has been the center of my universe for as long as I can remember. It helps me feel centered — puts me in touch with my feelings. Music brings joy at times, comforts me when I’m sad, gives me a way to express love/ anger/ frustration...

How did the idea of KL Productions come about? What characterize your philosophy and what do you think is key to a good and successful publicist?

In addition to being a musician, I had various jobs in the music industry - Worked for Concerted Efforts for a few years — a small blues booking agency at the time - booked Gatemouth Brown, Eddy ’The Chief’ Clearwater, Robert Jr., Lockwood, Buckwheat Zydeco, Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy, Terrance Simien & the Mallet Playboys — Concerted also booked a new venue in Cambridge, MA — Nightstage. I did the PR for some of the acts playing at the club and got to know a lot of record company folks - and journalists. Someone who worked for Geffen Records recommended me to Aerosmith’s management company who reached out to me & offered me a job doing PR for the band. After a year, my husband (a sax player - Dennis Taylor who was playing with Gatemouth when we met, then Buckwheat Zydeco) and I decided to relocate to Nashville and I left my job with Aerosmith and decided to start my own company — KL Productions. I booked a couple of clubs in Nashville for a few years which lead me back into doing PR work.

For me it’s always about the music. I’m a musician first & foremost & I’ve always had good ears… I’ve only ever taken on music projects that have a certain integrity - Something that I have to believe in. When I send music to the various journalists/ producers/ editors et al that I am contacting, they trust that the music will be something worth paying attention to. It doesn’t always mean they’ll love it, or choose to write about it, but they know that it’s quality.

”Follow your heart. No one should be in the music business who isn’t passionate about the music. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Sometimes you have to pivot, but if it’s something you’re driven to do don’t let anyone stop you. Just get creative and forge your own path.” (Photo: Karen Leipziger of KL Productions with the late great photographer, Dick Waterman)

As a songwriter, how do you describe your songbook and where does your creative drive come from? Is there a message you are trying to convey with your songs?

I describe my songs as telling an emotional truth. I write because I have something to say. I’m sort of an accidental songwriter. Nashville is a town of songwriters and a friend who wrote kept encouraging me to get together & write. I kept making excuses, but finally agreed to. On the way to his house to write, I had images from a recent tornado that had torn thru the heart of Nashville and when I got to his house, he couldn’t shut me up. By the time I left a few hours later, we had the first verse & chorus of the song “Winds Of Change”. I literally dreamt the second verse, then we got together wrote one more verse, then demoed the song in his living room - He on guitar, me on vocals. It was the most exhilarating feeling I think I've ever had. I played it for some people - including Eddy Clearwater - who wound up recording for his next album on Bullseye Blues/Rounder Records. Produced by Duke Robillard, the song was the lead track on Eddy’s “Reservation Blues” album. A few months later, I got the call from the label telling me the song was nominated for a blues music award for “Best Song”. I was hooked!

What music moment changed your life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

I’ve had a lifetime of amazing music moments, it’s hard to pin it down to just one. The first time I went to New Orleans Jazz Fest changed my life, getting my first song (the very first song I ever wrote) recorded & then nominated for an award was life-changing, hanging out backstage with Clapton when Buckwheat’s band toured with them...I’ve gotten to meet so many extraordinary people because of the work I’ve done. I feel very lucky to have been able to pursue my passion pretty much my whole life.

”I describe my songs as telling an emotional truth. I write because I have something to say. I’m sort of an accidental songwriter. Nashville is a town of songwriters and a friend who wrote kept encouraging me to get together & write. I kept making excuses, but finally agreed to.” (Photo: Karen Leipziger & Bob Margolin)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

There’s still really great music being made — The main problem is it’s harder to get the music out there to the listening public - to make people aware of/to hear all the great music. It’s also harder for artists to make any money from their recordings now. Many people stream music, they don’t buy music and artists make very little if any from the streaming. It’s not sustainable. If people don’t buy music, musicians won’t be able to keep creating/recording new music.

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

In my perfect world, ’success’ as a musician/artist would be based on merit. And musicians would be fairly compensated.

What does to be a female artist in the music industry and what is/was the status of women in music?

It’s certainly better than it was, tho the music industry is still in many ways a boys club. But female artists/ musicians/ songwriters/ publicists/ managers et al have made many inroads.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

Follow your heart. No one should be in the music business who isn’t passionate about the music. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Sometimes you have to pivot, but if it’s something you’re driven to do don’t let anyone stop you. Just get creative and forge your own path.

Karen Leipziger/KL Productions P.O. Box 120002, Nashville, TN 37212 USA (klpzgr@earthlink.net)

(Photo: Karen Leipziger)