NEWS LOG:
July 9, 2008 - I have
some interesting shows coming up. This is my first stab at playing with country
bands, which tend to travel out of Nashville for their shows. I am playing with
Ash Bowers in Los Angeles, California coming up July 17. On August 1 I will be
with songwriter Craig Winquist at the Union County Fair in his hometown of
Alcestor, South Dakota. Towards the end of August I will be playing with Artist
Stephen Dale in Oklahoma. In between, I'll still be playing here in Nashville
with some of the following artists:
Korby Lenker,
Stephen Belin
June 13, 2008 - Article in
the Commercial Appeal Today
Listen up: Full-time music career on tap for Lucas Leigh
"It was a pretty sweet little deal," said Leigh, a native of Hernando.
He auditioned for the part in Nashville, where he now lives. "I was really animated. If you're gonna be on TV, you can't just be sitting there and have this long face. I dance and stuff when I play. Not stand-up dance, but I dance in my seat."
Though he was told he looked too young to be in a beer commercial, a few days later Leigh was notified he got the part. "I was like, 'Yes!' I quit my job. I was working at an ice cream shop."
The commercial shows the musicians jamming in a basement and at the Springwater bar in Nashville.
"I've gotten some feedback on my shirt I had on and how my hair looks. They wanted us to be sort of eccentric and semi-grungy. I just had on a blue plaid Western shirt with pearl buttons and a black undershirt and jeans. I had on Wallabees."
As for his hair, he said, "The makeup girl flat-ironed it every morning so it was just really straight and really goofy."
Eric McConnell, the ad's music coordinator, was the engineer on Van Lear Rose, which Loretta Lynn recorded with Jack White. "I found (a Grammy award) in the corner of his little studio house with dust on it, like hidden. I was like, 'Is this a Grammy?' He's like, 'Yeah, that's one of them.' I was like, 'Dude. Here, let me clean this up for you.'"
When he was 5 years old, Leigh picked out another product's jingle on his family's old upright piano, purchased at a Boy Scout auction for $20.
"The first real song anybody ever noticed me playing by ear (was) the Folger's coffee commercial -- 'The best part of waking up is Folger's in your cup,'" he said.
His first gig was at age 10, playing for the Hernando Women's Club. The next year, he began playing at Oxford's Downtown Grill, where he continued to play through college at the University of Mississippi.
Little Richard, who was performing in 1994 at the Mid-South Fair, was the first musical celebrity Leigh met.
"I was in the Youth Talent Contest over at the fair. He called all the kids up on stage to dance to the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider.' I'm standing there and this white baby grand's right next to me. I was like, 'Man, I really want to play that piano.'"
Leigh saw his sister in the audience telling him to play. "I asked him if I could play his piano, and he sort of looked at me for a second. He's like, 'Shut UP. Yeah, you can play. This little boy's gonna play the piano.' I started playing 'Great Balls of Fire.' Soon as I went, 'Bum bum bum bum,' the band was right on it. I went back to his trailer and we hung out a little bit. Got his autograph."
When Jerry Lee Lewis heard he played with Little Richard, Leigh was invited to perform with Lewis at a gala at The Peabody celebrating the entertainer's 40 years in show business. Leigh chose the song "Lewis Boogie."
"I really didn't get any one-on-one, but my brother-in-law is his lawyer. He tells me Jerry Lee Lewis asks about me, and he's wanting me to send him some recordings of me doing his songs."
"Great Balls of Fire" -- the song and the 1989 movie starring Dennis Quaid -- were music inspirations for Leigh when he was a child. Like Lewis, Leigh can play piano with his foot. "I can do a little bit of a glitch with my heel."
He used to play with his elbows, too. "I could actually play a solo with my elbow and it would sound decent."
In high school, Leigh joined the Jack Straw Band. In college, he formed The Ward. "The drummer's name was Ward. We obviously were having a hard time coming up with a name."
After graduating with a journalism degree in 2005, Leigh worked for a trade magazine for the pizza industry. Last summer, he moved to Nashville to pursue music. He's currently working on a CD and trying to put a band together.
Since he was paid well for the Budweiser ad, Leigh now can pursue his music career without working at any more ice cream parlors.
And, he said, "They gave me three cases of beer. That was a bonus."
Listen Up spotlights area performers. Michael Donahue can be reached at 529-2797.
To hear music by this week's performer and view more pictures, go to commercialappeal. com and click on music. More information on the band can be found on myspace.com/lucasleigh.
June 20, 2008 - A lot has has happened since the last time I
wrote. I moved into a new house two weeks ago, right on Music Row in Nashville.
The experience of living in the city has already been a great change because it
makes going to more shows easy. I started playing with two new bands:
Korby Lenker, and
The Minor Keys.
I also started working with Billy Block, the radio host who offers a chance to
all local and unsigned artists to have their music played on his show. In the
past couple of months I have been doing a lot of studio/session work as well as
songwriting and recording. Look for new songs in the coming weeks.
April
15, 2008
-
From the website of UK's men's
magazine, Shortlist. On
Monday (14th April) Budweiser's latest
advertising campaign
launched. The 'True
Dedication' campaign stars a band of passionate musicians who are seen jamming,
in their own unique way.
The ad is directed by Hollywood
filmmaker Harmony Korine with all photography by celebrated Beastie Boys
photographer Ari Marcopoulos.
As always Bud have produced another
corker of an ad campaign and ShortList.com has managed to nab the first
look at
a video introducing you to the band. Eccentric doesn't cover these boys.
Click Here for the Story
(from a different Source)
March 13, 2008 - Nashville has once again turned the tables to a totally new scene than just two months before. It has ceased to amaze me the talent and opportunity in this town if you're just out there in it, looking for it.
When I ran across Johnny Zambricki last month, he was ready to start a band. We have a few shows booked and are playing this Friday at the Flying Saucer. It's all original and I would describe it as Beatles meets Jack Johnson meets Charlie Daniels. I will have some songs coming soon on this website. The band is called New Vitamins.
Also, just this past Saturday an opportunity came across my email. I searched it through and it sounded like a great thing. I won't say exactly what it was at this point, but I will tell you the story here at a later time--soon.
The rest of the month of March will be dedicated to this project and New Vitamins.
All for now,
-Lucas
January 5, 2008 - It's a new year, and with it brings many good things in Nashville. Aside from meeting tons of great musicians and recording engineers, I've also fallen into quite a few different projects over the past 5 months: from the jazzy songwriting and bluebird experience with Dani Carroll, to the showcase alt-country band Buffalo Rome, to a really talented jam band called Vinyl Soup, the stunt-oriented shows with Joe Savage, and even the gigs down on Broadway, which sometimes lasted until 4 in the morning.
2008 has much in store. With lots of
songwriting and collaboration going on I will be recording a 6 to 8 song Early
Press album before the summer. It will contain several original songs with
various singers and musicians. In the midst of all that, I plan on playing live
at private parties and to continue appearing with several of the above
mentioned.
Happy New Years to Everyone!
Lucas
November, 2007 -
Playing with Joe
Savage at Bally's Casino was a great experience. The show was truly something
amazing. He touched the hearts of many people while also putting on a
production. With four of the most talented people I've ever worked with behind
the star, this was a truly great experience. Bally's Casino has asked the Joe
Savage Experience to come back for another month, so it looks like we'll be
playing down there through the end of December.
October 5
-
The Bluebird, with Dani Carroll, was
an excellent experience. From
Dani's myspace:
"Take a trip back in time to the
smokey speakeasies of the 40's as multi-talented vocalist Dani Carroll takes a
detour from her usual country fare and revisits her jazz roots."
And that's exactly what we did. The room was crowded, and you could hear a
pin drop in the Bluebird Cafe. Pictures coming soon!
September 11 -
Things are
beginning to take shape here in Nashville. I'll be playing several shows with
stage entertainer Joe Savage. He's been lead singer and front man of his own
daring act since the 70's. Famous stunts involved snakes, chainsaws, confetti,
tigers, etc. For more information on Joe visit his
myspace page or
click here.
August 18 - Several shows coming up in Nashville this fall, many more to come soon! Don't miss the Bluebird Cafe on October 4th! Nashville's favorite songwriter venue.
July 22 - Lucas is relocating to Nashville where he will pursue music. Lucas will be available for various recording projects, private parties, and public appearances. For booking information or inquiries, click here.
Feb. 9
- Lucas sits in With North Mississippi Allstars in Starkville, MS. Pictures
can be found in the
Photos
section and more information and a video can be seen at Lucas' Myspace Page.
Dec. 10, 2006
- Lucas went into the studio to record Piano and Keys for
Maggie Louie, on her
newest album entitled
Flight Risk.
It was recorded at
Ardent Studios in
Memphis, TN.
Maria y El Sol just finished their album, in which Lucas appears. To hear some of the recordings, visit their myspace page.
NEWS CLIPPINGS:
From British Magazine ' Shortlist ' April, 2008
From a review in a 2005 edition of the
Beatles Unlimited Magazine:
On Lucas Leigh’s Tribute to the Beatles
repertoire and a few solo songs (three of Lennon and one McCartney), at first
it seems that after a peaceful performance of a song (Yesterday, Something), he
starts rocking and boogie-ing in a Jerry Lee Lewis way (Ballad of John &
Yoko and of course Lady Madonna). But then a series of solid performances
follow, from Let It Be to the McCartney-majestic-like playing of Maybe I’m
Amazed. Golden Slumbers (coupled with the unmentioned Carry That Weight) is a
blend of relaxed and solid approaches. The routine of alternating styles
returns, with a swinging (!) Instant Karma following the relaxed Long And
Winding Road. A Day In The Life ends the disc, in a highly varied way of
playing like the original, right up until the crescendo at the end. Those
rocking arrangements on their own and the playful improvisations on other
tracks, alternating with laid-back versions, are a welcome addition to the
world of Beatles cover versions. This way, it doesn’t matter that much which
songs you take, as long as you make them your own, which easily prevents it
from becoming another average muzak version.
~Beatles Unlimited, September/October 2005
____________________________________________________________________________
'MUSICAL JOURNEY' AT JUBILEE
BY CAMILLE BRELAND
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
APRIL 26, 2005
A mosaic is a picture or decorative design made by setting
small colored pieces of stone or tile into a surface.
This definition is an accurate portrayal of the newly formed band Mosaic,
playing tonight at The Jubilee.
Mosaic, led by singer, songwriter and saxophone player Christophe Ambrosino, is
an eight-piece band featuring an assorted style of music from around the world.
Mosaic takes musical styles from other cultures and pieces them together to
form a unified sound.
“I think (Mosaic) is basically a musical journey,” Ambrosino, a native of
Bordeaux, France, said.
The concept, writing and thinking of the band began about a year ago, and the
actual playing and formation has been in progress for a couple months,
Ambrosino said.
He said his songs are all worldly, ranging from salsa and latin to blues and
rock.
He said, since he is from France, American music is a worldly music to him, and
therefore has a unique spin.
“Mosaic is made up of eight very talented musicians from the Oxford area,” said
Lucas Leigh, the keyboardist for the group.
The band also includes Tom Quega on electric guitar, Tommy Turan on bass, Chris
Steiner on acoustic guitar, Ricky Burkhead on percussion, Jeff Callaway on
trombone and William Gate on drums.
“(The musicians) know how to get inside of the music and move around,” Leigh
said.
Leigh, a senior broadcast journalism major from Hernando, describes the band’s
sound as an eclectic mix of cultures “almost like afro-Cuban-jazz.”
Not only does the band play worldly music, but the members are also
multi-cultural
Members of the group come from varying places such as France, South America and
the United States and speaking four different languages between them.
“I thought the band was unique and neat to listen to,” said Ana Maria Echiburu,
a junior from Morton who saw Mosaic perform two weeks ago.
“Their style is completely different, but it’s fun and easy to enjoy.”
Echiburu said she recommends Mosaic to anyone who likes to feel inspired and
enjoys live music.
The band hits the stage at 10 p.m., and there is no cover charge, although the
bar is 21 and up.
Mosaic will return to Jubilee May 3.
PHOTO- JAM SESSION
by Vanessa Hayes
DM Photographer
April 22, 2005
Lucas Leigh and Jesse Cole play in front of the Union Thursday afternoon as part of the Union Unplugged series. They will also appear at the Downtown Grill tonight.
The Vibes get regular spot
by
Kate Taylor
Battle
DAILY mISSISSIPPIAN Senior Staff Reporter
October 20, 2004
You may know them as the Translators, the Lucas Leigh Trio, Blazz, About a Horse, The Vibes or just those guys without a guitarist, but no matter what you call them, they play mind-blowing music and know how to put a crowd in a great mood.
The Vibes (the official name of the band for now) is an emerging local band composed of talented musicians: pianist/keyboardist Lucas Leigh, bassist John Phillips and drummer Chad Brunet.
If you are wondering why this band sounds familiar, these three musicians are no strangers to local and independent music scenes in Oxford, Memphis, the Mid-South and beyond.
Leigh and Phillips have been playing together in the now-defunct Jack Straw Band since high school, and many should recognize Phillips as the former bassist of DayBreakDown (ex Boko Maru).
Ben Bounds, co-founder of Dirt Road Records and manager of DayBreakDown, talked highly about Phillips both as a friend and a musician.
“I pretty much lived with the kid for a year on the road,” Bounds said. “We’ve been through a lot together. We’ve been broke and gone hungry together. We’ve slept in trucks, tents, hotel floors and even bare ground together. We’ve followed along side each other, and we’ve seen the highs and lows of this business first hand together. No matter how bad it got, the kid always showed up and brought the rock.”
Leigh can be found on keys at the Grill on some nights, plus he has already put out three solo piano albums.
New Orleans-native Brunet, however, earned his respect as a drummer during the mid-1990s in a locally popular Seattle jam band, Organica.
With three histories of musical talent and local popularity, the Vibes might be considered an Oxford super-group. Leigh has been playing piano since he was three, and the drummer of Galactic trained Brunet.
The band claims a variety of influences from the Allman Brothers and Cream to Ben Folds and Trey Anastasio to Miles Davis. With only a bass, drums and keys, this rhythm and key-based trio pulls from a variety of genres including blues, jazz and groove.
“We’re here to play around town, not to make money,” Leigh said.
Phillips and Leigh also said they rarely prepare a set list because they want to be a truly crowd-based live band.
According to Phillips, The Vibes have only played six or seven gigs. “We began practicing during the end of July, and we play a new set every show.”
Currently, The Vibes do about 60 percent originals and 40 percent cover songs. However, Phillips said the band tries to find really interesting covers, and the band never overplays a song.
“Our originals are in strange meter,” Leigh said.
“We try to write songs with complex compositions, while still giving the crowd something to dance to. The crowds really have a lot of energy at our shows.”
As a new band, The Vibes are still writing new songs, and the sound is evolving quickly.
With laid-back and friendly, yet professional, attitudes, the band combines extremes with fast finger work, steady back beats and a variety of anomalies on the drum beats. Leigh, Phillips and Brunet show a near-ethereal bond.
With a sound so eclectic and powerful, it is no surprise that this band is gaining local support. Phillips said the band played its first gig to a tiny crowd, but now The Vibes easily attract crowds of over 115 people.
Beginning tonight, The Vibes will be playing every other Wednesday night, alternating with IZM, at Two Stick. The show is $5, and the band will get started around 10.
The
Commercial Appeal
December 8, 2000
`CHEMISTRY'S THERE' WHEN JACK STRAW BAND PLAYS `FUNKY BLUES'
Author: Michael Donahue The Commercial Appeal
The Jack Straw Band got its name from a Grateful Dead tune.
"We don't really do the Dead, so it's kind of weird," said Lee Smith,
17, drummer. "This girl came up to me. She was like, `I heard you're
looking for a name for your band. Do the Jack Straw Band.' I was like, `OK,
cool.' "
Smith, who formed the band with Jesse Cole, 17, a guitar player and vocalist in
the group, said they used to play basic rock. "It evolved into what we
have now, which is a funky blues kind of thing."
The band also includes John Phillips, 18, on bass; Gabriel Luna, 19, on guitar
and vocals; and Lucas Leigh, 18, on piano.
Luna was in the Memphis Yahoos, a band Smith's dad managed, before he joined
the Jack Straw Band. He'd drop by the Jack Straw practice room. "I just
kind of would go berserk on guitar and we would all get really loud," he
said.
"The chemistry was there," Smith said.
Luna, who also is involved in ! other musical projects, knew he wanted to be in
the Jack Straw Band. "They had energy, creativity to jam and improvise and
try different ideas; and come up with sounds that haven't exactly been put
through the air yet."
Luna was a perfect fit in the band. "He's got a tone that's unlike any
other," Smith said. "You can go to any old place and when somebody's
soloing, it just sounds like the same old solo you heard at the bar next door.
You come in and you hear Gabe soloing, it's just like, `Hey, that's different.
This is something fresh and new.' "
Leigh began playing piano at 4. He briefly took piano lessons, but preferred
playing by ear. "The first thing I actually played (by ear) was the
Folger's coffee commercial," he said. "I just sat down and I could
play it, chords and everything."
He went from "The best part of waking up is Folger's in your cup" to
playing Elton John, Billy Joel and Jerry Lee Lewis standards. Later, he
concentrated on Lewi! s material. "I used to play with my elbows, my
feet."
Leigh played on stage with Lewis, Little Richard and Bill Haley & the
Comets. He's released four solo CDs, including "Rockin' into
Christmas," which came out last week.
Leigh also was a great addition to the band, Smith said. "He stepped in
and then all of a sudden he hit the first notes, it's like, `It's coming
together. Everything is going to work out just fine with him,' " he said.
"Like the way he can crescendo and decrescendo. When we're jamming, it's a
different feel."
The Jack Straw Band plays covers by artists including Dave Matthews and Phish.
The band Bush "really got me into playing guitar," Cole said. "I
went to a concert of theirs and I saw them jumping around and having a lot of
fun. I said, `I gotta do that.' "
Gettin' Down is the Jack Straw Band's first original. Phillips provided the
lyrics. "John, one day, came out with this poem thing and it fit well with
what we were going to play," Smith said.
"It (Gettin! ' Down) starts off, `There was an old woman who lived in a
shoe. She drank all night till the bottle was through,' " Phillips said.
"It's basically about what I don't want to become, just constantly always
having to lean on drugs, alcohol, stuff like that."
The Jack Straw Band believes in gigging. At one time they had a show every
weekend for about eight weeks, Leigh said.
They cut back for a while when Smith was playing tight end and defensive end
for Briarcrest's football team. But playing football also helped him as a band
member, Smith said. "You go out and play a football game you really bond
with the people you play with," he said. "And I can take it to the
band 'cause we play gigs we bond together. It's great."
Asked if they wanted any more musicians in the band, Smith said, "A horn
section would be straight. Not for good, (but) for a show or something."
For now, the band members are pleased with the lineup. The Jack Straw Ban! d is
family, Phillips said.
"I can go over to John's and steal all the food from his
refrigerator," Smith said. "He gets mad, but not that mad."
The
Commercial Appeal
December 10, 1998
A NATURAL TALENT AT KEYBOARD
YOUNG PIANIST AMAZED LITTLE RICHARD, AMONG OTHERS
Author: Stephen D. Price The Commercial Appeal
Kathy Leigh can recall the day she learned her son, Lucas, has a special gift.
It was 1992, and Lucas was 9 years old. He and his mother were watching
television when a Folgers's Coffee commercial came on.
Lucas Leigh then did something amazing.
He walked in the living room to the family baby grand piano, and "He
played the Folgers's commercial jingle, and my mouth dropped," Kathy Leigh
said. "I couldn't believe it. I had company listen to him and we would get
albums for him to play back."
Since then Lucas Leigh, now 16 and a Hernando High School student, has gone on
to amaze family and friends and, in 1994 at the Mid-South Fair, the
"father" of rock and roll, Little Richard.
It was then that Lucas, 11 years old, on stage with Little Richard and about 30
other children, asked if he could play Great Balls of Fire. Lucas did, wowing
Little Richard and the crowd.
Lucas's mother describes her son's ability to play! the piano with little
training as a gift. Some have even called him a prodigy. But Lucas said playing
piano just comes easy.
"It seems natural, like anyone can do it," said Lucas, who lives with
his parents, Kathy and Rick Leigh, and 5-year-old brother Bridge Leigh in
Hernando. "I'm sure it's a talent, so I guess I am a prodigy."
Lucas's interest in the piano began when he was 5. His family had a piano in
the living room, and he begged his mother to allow him to take lessons.
"I kept putting it off because I didn't think he was going to do it,"
Kathy Leigh said.
But soon after taking piano lessons, Lucas became bored with playing what he
called "baby songs" from songbooks.
"I wanted to get straight to the good stuff," he said.
At age 7, he stopped taking lessons, and by age 10, he said, he could play just
about anything he heard by ear. Though he eventually started taking some
lessons again, Lucas said he isn't one to sit down and ! read music then play
it.
"It's hard to find a teacher for him," Kathy Leigh said. "He
plays by ear and most teachers want you to read music. His music teacher (who
was also his kindergarten teacher) did tell us he had perfect pitch and was
well coordinated."
A brown baby grand piano in the living room is his favorite piano. It once
belonged to his great-grandmother, Reba Leigh, who played in the St. Louis
Symphony, Lucas said.
He has two other pianos, one in the back of his parents' house and one at his
sister's house.
Lucas said he plays some 300 songs, all from memory. He plays at various
functions in the area. On many weekends he plays at the Downtown Grill in Oxford,
Miss., for private parties. He said he practices about 15 minutes a day.
"He never takes music with him. It's all in his head," Kathy Leigh
said.
Lucas said he listens to Elton John, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Asked by a reporter to play whatever he wants, he whips his fingers across the
keys and starts pounding chords ! like a jack hammer while playing Great Balls
of Fire, with a bust of Beethoven on a piano staring at him.
To test his playback skills, the reporter plays on a tape recorder a song Lucas
has never heard before - a live version of a Prince song, Strange Relationship.
Lucas listens to it a couple of times and in between snacking on peanuts, plays
the song back almost the way he heard it.
In 1997, Lucas's uncle, Frank Bizzell, helped finance his nephew's first CD, Do
You Mind if I Play. This year, Lucas put out a second CD called Perfectly
Grand. The CDs are mostly cover songs with a few originals by Lucas.
Lucas said he has become somewhat of a celebrity at school.
"Everybody thinks I'm going to be famous, but I don't think I will because
it's such a big world," he said.
Stephen Simpson, principal at Hernando High School, said he's listened to Lucas
play the keyboards for the school band and one of his CDs.
"He's a very gifted and talented musician," Simpson said. "I
foresee great things for him i n the future."
Though Lucas said he would love nothing more than to be able to play the piano
all day, he doesn't necessarily want to be a recording artist. The drugs and
unhappiness he said he's seen among some of his favorite artists doesn't make
the recording world seem appealing.
LUCAS PERFORMS WITH BILL HALEY'S COMENTS
On January 1 and January 2, 1999 Lucas Leigh had the opportunity to play on stage live with Bill Haley's Comets at the Tahoe Biltmore on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. At the invitation of John "Bam Bam" Lane, Lucas sat in on several numbers and performed his rendition of "High School Confidential" and "Great Balls of Fire" In addition he played along with the band on "Rip it Up", "Rock Around The Clock" and several other Rock and Roll Numbers made famous by Bill Haley. Lucas was in town for a skiing holiday an an extended engagement at O. B.'s Pub and Restaurant in nearby Truckee, California.
Press Release
BSharp
Records releases its 2nd CD by Lucas Leigh, 15 year old "piano
man" from Hernando, Mississippi
Dallas,
Texas, October 13, 1998: Bsharp
Records announced today that it was releasing a new CD by Lucas Leigh, a 15
year old high school student who has entertained audiences throughout the
Midsouth for the past several years since he started playing the piano at the
age of 5. His new CD, "Perfectly Grand", is a collection of love
songs and ballads borrowed from famous artists and composers but with Lucas’
own style and interpretation. It includes the hit song "My Heart Will Go
On" from the movie "Titanic" and two songs by Elton
John—"Candle In The Wind" and "Circle Of Life". Most of the
other songs will be instantly recognizable, but there is one song "Ivory
Moon" not as well known but with Lucas’ unique style, its beautiful melody
will quickly grab your attention.
OLIVE BRANCH HOSTS OLD TOWNE CONCERT
THE MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL
Thursday, June 4, 1998
The Olive Branch Old Towne Preservation and Development Association will present its first Concerts in Old Towne 98, starting today at 8 p.m. The concerts will continue June 11, 18, 25 and July 2, on the grounds of the Wesson House, at the corner of Goodman and Pigeon Roost.
On June 11, the concert will feature gospel from The Salem Harmonizers; on June 18, country music from the Wayd Battles; on June 25, Hernando recording artist Lucas Leigh and July 2, Olive Branch flutist Karen Sudduth.
Admission is free, and this evening's concert will feature guitarist Don O'Barr.
MIDSOUTH FAIR TALENT WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The Memphis Commercial
Appeal
Sunday, September 28, 1997
Lucas
Leigh, 14, from Hernando, Miss., won the Second Sweepstakes Award of $1,250. He
played the piano and sang a Jerry Lee Lewis medley of songs.``I didn't know
anything about this contest before I came here,'' he said.``I never thought I
would make it to the second round. I think I'm going to buy a new keyboard with
the money.''
Leigh showed signs of talent when he
was 6, so his mother signed him up for piano lessons. ``I hated it,'' he said.
``I hated all the songs. I thought they were too boring. My piano teacher said she couldn't teach me
anymore because I play by ear, and she didn't know
what to do. She found me a teacher who also played by ear. It was great. I got
to pick all my music and learned a lot of chords.''
The contest, sponsored by The Commercial Appeal
and WREG-TV Channel 3, lasted eight days and included 477 acts from seven
states. The group was
narrowed to 72 acts for Thursday's semifinals and 18 acts for the finals.
Judges for the contest were Marilyn Fischer of CBS Television, Michael Detroit
of Playhouse on the Square, Steve Speelman of Royal CaribbeanCruise Lines and Michael Fortner of Theatre Memphis.
LITTLE RICHARD UPSTAGED BY YOUNG PIANIST
From the Memphis
Commercial Appeal
Monday, October 3, 1994
With anomalies of nature like Lucas Leigh at the
Mid-South Fair, who
needs
Lobster Boy?
In an impromptu performance Wednesday night, 11-year-old
Lucas of
Hernando, Miss., stole the show from right under the mascaraed eyes and
pancaked puss of the legendary Little Richard.
It happened after Richard, the 62-year-old ''Architect of
Rock 'n Roll,'' invited the children in the audience to dance with him on the
fair's Mainstage as he hammered out The Itsy-Bitsy Spider on his white grand
piano.
About 30 tots, tykes, toddlers and preteens accepted,
including little Lucas.''When I was coming off the stage he gave me a hug,''
Lucas said, ''and I said, 'Care if I play Great Balls of Fire on your
piano?,' and he said, 'No, go ahead.'
''So I sat down on his piano, and he sat down next to me, and I started playing and the band started playing along
with me.''
What Little Richard and the audience of about 5,000 didn't
expect was that Lucas would pound out a barrelhouse boogie-woogie version of
the Sun Studio classic that could wake up Jerry Lee Lewis before noon.
Closeups of the boy's fast-moving hands on the large video
monitor above the stage proved it was no trick.
''They showed closeups of his hands? Oh, I'm sad I missed
that! Themother always misses out. We do all the work and miss all the fun,''
said Kathy Leigh, 44, Lucas's mother, who didn't make it to the fair that
night.
Lucas, who attended the fair with his father, Rick, 46, and
sister,Wendy, 21, said he ''loved'' being on stage.
''The band was following me, and they couldn't keep up with
me, 'cause they didn't know that song real well. And I always ad-lib and stuff.
That's the way I like to play.''
Said Bob Jamison, president of the Mid-South Fair/Liberty
Land: ''Dadgumit, that made my night when that kid did that. That was a
spontaneous moment if there ever was one.''
Lucas has a natural talent, his mother said. ''It's just
strictly a gift. It has to be, there's no other way someone could do it.
''Nobody believes him until they see him. They usually say,
'No, little boy, stay away from the nice piano.' ''
She said her son's fancy has been tickled by the ivories
almost from infancy, when he began messing around with the family's old
upright. ''As a
little one, he always wanted to play the piano, so I let him pound it.''He
began taking piano lessons in kindergarten, but was a bad student.
''He didn't like the practice, and the little dinky songs, and the theory.''
At age 8, he began playing songs by ear. ''The first thing
we noticed, this is so silly - I don't know if you remember that coffee
commercial,
'The best part of waking up is Folgers's in your cup.' It had a little tune
with it, and he started playing that. Then The Star-Spangled Banner, he
started playing that by ear.''
Now, he can play just about anything. ''I just kind of get
the rhythm of it, and I can play it,'' said Lucas, who's becoming fairly
well-known in
Desoto County for his performances at schools, churches and civic fund-raisers.
Mrs. Leigh said it's hard to figure out how to handle her
budding talent. ''We've not pushed him because we're just now getting to the
point where
we feel he's ready to make choices about things,'' she said.
But Lucas already has his own ideas. ''I want to become
famous and wear real catchy clothes, kind of like Elvis.''