Gerry Leonard
| Gerry Leonard | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 26 February 1961/1962 Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Rock, folk, ambient |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Ceol na Phúca, Spooky Ghost |
| Associated acts | Spooky Ghost Hinterland Bowsie Susan McKeown David Bowie Duncan Sheik Suzanne Vega Pamela Sue Mann |
Gerry Leonard is an Irish lead guitarist and solo artist, known for his harmonic and ambient guitar style and for his work with David Bowie. He has lived and worked in Dublin, Copenhagen, and Manhattan.
From Clontarf in Dublin, Leonard played in bands as a teen, influenced by a mixture of Led Zeppelin, punk and post punk and whatever was playing on Top of the Pops. Early on, he worked as a tape operator in Lombard Sound studios in Dublin, where one job was recording a demo tape by a sixteen-year-old Sinéad O'Connor, and he got to see U2 and Phil Lynott at work. He then studied classical guitar for five years at the Municipal College of Music in Dublin, particularly interested in exploring the instrument's harmonic possibilities. In 1989 he moved to Copenhagen, where he formed the band Hinterland with Donal Coughlan. Leonard handled guitars and production and Coughlan sang and played bass and keyboards, with writing duties shared by both. The band released an album with Island, Kissing the Roof of Heaven in 1990 and toured in Ireland, the UK, Germany and Switzerland. The last Hinterland release was an EP, Resurrect, in 1992.
New York's East Village was the next stop for Leonard, where he established himself as a solo performer, producer, and as a session player. He has recorded and toured, usually as lead guitarist, with Duncan Sheik, Laurie Anderson, Jonatha Brooke, Cyndi Lauper, Sophie B. Hawkins, Avril Lavigne and Chris Botti, among others. In addition to playing guitar for Rufus Wainwright, Leonard was the musical director for Wainwright's Milwaukee at Last!!! tour and subsequent live album. He works a lot with Suzanne Vega, touring with her effectively as a duo; he produced and is given writing credits on all the songs on her album, Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles (Amanuensis Productions, 2014).
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