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Chuck will be hitting the road with The Rolling Stones in celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary.

• 5/3/13 – Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center
• 5/5/13 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
• 5/8/13 – San Jose, CA – HP Pavilion
• 5/11/13 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand
• 5/15/13 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
• 5/18/13 – Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
• 5/20/13 – Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
• 5/25/13 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
• 5/28/13 – Chicago, IL – United Center
• 5/31/13 – Chicago, IL - United Center
• 6/3/13 – Chicago, IL - United Center
• 6/6/13 – Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
• 6/9/13 – Montreal - Centre Bell
• 6/12/13 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
• 6/14/13 – Boston, MA - TD Garden
• 6/18/13 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
• 6/21/13 – Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
• 6/24/13 – Washington, DC - Verizon Center
• 6/29/13 – Glastonbury, UK – Glastonbury Festival
• 7/6/13 – London, UK – Hyde Park
• 7/13/13 – London, UK – Hyde Park

[...] Continue Reading…

Both 1978 Albums from the Band Founded by Ex-Allman Bros. members Chuck Leavell, Jaimoe and Lamar Williams

Both Albums Have Been Out of Print for Years

Features “That’s Your Secret” and “A Lotta Colada”

New Liner Notes by Scott Schinder

SEA LEVEL: Cats on the Coast/On the Edge. CD
Sea Level started as an Allman Brothers offshoot, boasting three members (keyboardist Chuck Leavell, percussionist Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson and bassist Lamar Williams) from the mid-‘70s edition of the band, but became a major act in its own right with its tasty blend of jazz, blues and Southern rock (in other words, they would have fit nicely into today’s jam band scene). These two albums both came out in 1978 but chart major changes in the group; Cats on the Coast saw the addition of guitarist Davis Causey, percussionist George Weaver and multi-instrumentalist Randall Bramblett to the line-up, while Jaimoe and Weaver left and drummer Joe English joined for On the Edge. Despite the changing line-ups, these two records are remarkably consistent affairs featuring such signature Sea Level songs as “That’s Your Secret” and “A Lotta Colada;” they have, however, both been out of print for about a decade and command big bucks online. Our Real Gone reissue offers both records on a single, 70 minutes-plus CD, with notes by Scott Schinder…rediscover one of the most underrated outfits of the ‘70s!

Cats on the Coast

1. That’s Your Secret
2. It Hurts to Want It So Bad
3. Storm Warning
4. Had to Fall
5. Midnight Pass
6. Every Little Thing
7. Cats on the Coast
8. Song for Amy

On the Edge

9. Fifty-Four
10. King Grand
11. Living in a Dream
12. A Lotta Colada
13. This Could Be the Worst
14. Uptown Downtown
15. Electron Cold
16. On the Wing [...] Continue Reading…

Michigan Live recently posted about Chuck and his book Growing A Better America:

World-class musician Chuck Leavell has played piano and keyboard for over three decades with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and George Harrison.

He’s also a renowned and passionate forest conservationist and environmentalist.
Leavell co-founded the Mother Nature Network and his new book is “Growing a Better America: Smart, Strong, and Sustainable.”

The subject of Leavell’s recent talk at Michigan State University was stewardship and partnership.

“It’s important that we all be good stewards of our lands and natural resources,” says Leavell.  “And partnerships are important to make this stewardship go as well as it can.

“We’re stronger if we work together, and we can achieve common goals by working together.  But if we’re at odds and pointing fingers when things are difficult and not meeting challenges together, we won’t get anywhere.” [...] Continue Reading…

Marsh Towers recently posted this review of Chuck’s most recent album Back To The Woods:

Chuck Leavell will probably best known to most readers as the keyboardist for the Rolling Stones, a post he has held since 1982. He takes centre stage on this new album, which is a stripped-down tribute to blues piano players including Leroy Carr, Little Brother Montgomery and Otis Spann.

The aim of the album is clear: ”It was important to me [to do] this project to expose the piano as an important instrument in blues history.”

The detailed sleeve notes, written by Leavell and Larry Cohn, provide a potted history of the role of the piano from the 1880s, when ”most American families, rural as well as urban, had a piano in their homes and churches. Widespread availability of the guitar had yet to arrive.” There’s also a section offering biographical notes on some of the finest blues pianists, whose songs are covered on the album. [...] Continue Reading…

Relix recently posted some of Chuck’s thoughts on touring with The Rolling Stones:

Fan & Friend

[My role as musical director] is something that developed over time. Back around Steel Wheels [1989], I began to take notes during the rehearsals—making charts for certain songs, noting the tempo we did and so forth. I did it mainly for my own use, but when we would go back over some song that the band didn’t know that well, I became the “go-to” guy for the arrangement and other details. As time went on, I made more notes and charts and started giving them input on setlist choices. Also, I came from a unique perspective: I was a fan way before I came into the band and encouraged them to do certain songs that they had never, or rarely, tried onstage. As we did more rehearsals and more tours, the book of charts and notes I took expanded into two huge volumes, all alphabetized and organized for easy reference. That gave me the ability to make it easy to pick just about any song out of the deep well of material and help everyone to navigate the tune. Since doing this essentially made me know most of the arrangements by heart, when we would get to the stage and anyone might not be sure of when a solo was coming up when a bridge or other special part was to happen—they would physically look over to me for some guidance. I began giving signals for that kind of thing. [...] Continue Reading…

Check out The Huffington Post’s coverage of last week’s Rolling Stones gig at the Echoplex in Los Angeles:

Watch the video here.

LOS ANGELES — For one night only, the Rolling Stones were an up-and-coming band again.

The legendary group rocked a small club in Los Angeles on Saturday night for a minuscule crowd compared to the thousands set to see them launch their “50 and Counting” anniversary tour a week later on May 3 at the Staples Center.

The band kicked off Saturday’s hush-hush 90-minute concert at the Echoplex in the hip Echo Park neighborhood with “You Got Me Rocking” before catapulting into a mix of new and old material, as well as their bluesy covers of classics from Otis Redding (“That’s How Strong My Love Is”), Chuck Berry (“Little Queenie”) and The Temptations (“Just My Imagination”).

“Welcome to Echo Park, a neighborhood that’s always coming up – and I’m glad you’re here to welcome an up-and-coming band,” lead singer Mick Jagger joked after the second song of the evening, “Respectable.”

Despite clocking in several decades as a band, Jagger, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood showed no signs of slowing down Saturday. [...] Continue Reading…

Alan Harrison recently reviewed Chuck’s most recent album Back To The Woods on No Depression:

Chuck Leavell is one of those names that make some music fans eyes light up.He was a core member of the Allman Brothers when they were at their peak, later toured with the Stones on and off for three decades, and he has played keyboards on enough albums to fill a decent-sized shop.

He released his first solo album in 1998 and hasn’t been the most prolific of artists since, only releasing another two studio albums and a live one in 2007. This made BACK TO THE WOODS something of a surprise when it arrived on my doorstep.

There’s nothing new or ground-breaking here. I doubt anyone would expect that as Leavell re-visits the music that he grew up listening to, and puts his own stamp on them.

I like my Blues, but very few of the tracks or even the original artists were familiar to me, so everything comes across as fresh and new to ears like mine.

Chuck Leavell’s piano skills are extraordinary in a laid-back kind of way. I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by his rich, smoky voice which suits the late night ‘feel’ just perfectly.

A couple of songs (and their arrangements) stand out like poppies in a wheat field though. [...] Continue Reading…

via Culture Map Houston

Chuck Leavell has some serious rock and roll credentials — a former member of the Allman Brothers, a keyboardist for theRolling Stones since 1982 and a sought-after session musician who’s recorded with legends ranging from George Harrison and Eric Clapton to John Mayer and Miranda Lambert.

In advance of his performance for Da Camera’s 25th anniversary gala on Saturday, CultureMap spoke with the Grammy Award winner via phone from his Georgia home, where he maintains a 2,500-acre sustainable tree farm outside of Macon.

“It’s wonderful to be able to play with such great musicians in so many settings.”

For a window into Leavell’s daily life . . . let’s just say we caught him between a recording session with the Indigo Girls, tree farming duties and prep work for more tour dates with the Stones. [...] Continue Reading…