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Born : 1946 - Dover (England)
Past Bands : The Big Beats (1962-63), The Burnettes (1963-64), The Lonely Ones (1964),
The Loving Kind (1965-67), The Walker Brothers (1967.1968), Fat Mattress (1968-70),
Juicy Lucy (1971), Ellis (1972), Hemlock (1972-73), Frankie Miller (1973), Savoy Brown
(1974), Leo Sayer (1975), Joe Brown And The Bruvvers (1976-77), Steve Marriott &
Blind Drunk (1978-79), Steve Marriott & Packet Of Three (1980-91), Blodwyn Pig
(1992), Jim & Geoff (1992-), Caravan (1995-), The Blue Devils (2005-)
Current Bands : Caravan, Jim & Geoff, The Blues Devils
Jim Leverton only became associated with the Canterbury scene quite late in his career,
as he joined Caravan for the sessions of The Battle Of Hastings in the spring of 1995,
taking over from Richard Sinclair following the early 1990s reunion of the original
line-up. But he was by no means a newcomer, being one of the musicians with the most
prestigious pedrigree ever associated with the genre.
Having started playing guitar (left-handed) around 8 or 9, Leverton's career started
in the early 1960's when he started playing guitar in various semi-professional beat
groups around Dover. Leaving school at 15, he became an apprentice bricklayer but eventually
decided to devote his life to music and in 1964 joined the Burnettes, a professional
band from Folkestone which had Noel Redding, already a friend of Leverton's, on guitar.
The line-up recorded two singles, including a cover of Joe Tex's "Hold On To What
You Got", before breaking up 18 months later. Leverton went on to form The Lonely
Ones with other ex-members of the Burnettes, soon changing their name to The Loving
Kind. During its two years of existence, they recorded three singles for Pye Records,
inclduing a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar?".
At that point, Noel Redding left the band to join the Jimi Hendrix Experience as bass
player, to be replaced by one Ray Flacke. Leverton started doing some session work
around that time, playing on releases by Tom Jones, Gilbert O'Sullivan and Engelbert
Humperdink. But he teamed up with Redding again when the latter formed his own band
Fat Mattress in 1968, with Neil Landon on vocals and Eric Dillon on drums. When the
quartet folded after two years and a couple of albums, Leverton joined Juicy Lucy,
a blues-rock band with Paul Williams on vocals and Mick Moody on guitar. That line-up
recorded an album and toured the US, but this coincided with a bad period for Leverton,
who feeling depressed took six months off at the end of 1971.
In 1972, Leverton briefly joined Ellis, a band run by former Love Affair vocalist Steve
Ellis, alongside guitarist Andy Gee and keyboard player Zoot Money, but left after
playing on an album, not willing to tour with them. Leverton's next band was Hemlock,
led by ex-Keef Hartley guitarist/vocalist Miller Anderson, which recorded an eponymous
album for Deram in 1973 and toured Europe and the US for a couple of years. Leverton
subsequently worked on a solo album by ex-Grease Band/Wings guitarist Henry McCullogh
and gigged with Frankie Miller, before joining Savoy Brown for about a year in 1974,
touring the States and recording the album "The Boogie Brothers". A brief
stint backing Leo Sayer followed, before he joined Joe Brown and the Bruuvers, again
with Zoot Money on keyboards.
In 1978, Leverton began a long working relationship with ex-Small Faces and Humble
Pie guitarist/vocalist Steve Marriott, which lasted until Marriott's untimely death
in 1991. They were together in a succession of Marriott-led pub bands such as Blind
Drunk and Packet Of Three. In 1991, Leverton joined the reformed Blodwyn Pig, but things
didn't gel so he went on to various temporary jobs, including a brief spell with the
Dubliners. It was then that he first met Geoffrey Richardson, who was having musical
instruments renovated at the antique business of one of his friends. The two started
doing pub dates which resulted in an album, "Follow Your Heart", in 1996.
When Richard Sinclair left Caravan and Mike Wedgwood declined the offer to replace
him, Jim Leverton's name was put forward by Richardson, and he played on the Battle
Of Hastings album, having no previous knowledge of Caravan's music. Leverton even sang
lead on David Sinclair's song "Travelling Ways". Although he wasn't featured
on the subsequent "All Over You" and "All Over You Too" projects,
Leverton has remained with Caravan ever since. In addition to playing bass, he also
inherited Richard Sinclair's famous part in "Disassociation", the closing
movement of "Nine Feet Underground".
Leverton was closely involved in completing unfinished material by Steve Marriott.
Leverton's long overdue solo album may finally appear in the future. Meanwhile, he
is abundantly featured on Caravan's latest studio album, The Unauthorised Breakfast
Item (he again sings lead on one song) and, as vocalist, was also a major contributor
to Dave Sinclair's 2003 solo album Full Circle. Caravan gigs still come now and then,
as does other work.
(Thanks to Leroy Aymeric of http://calyx.perso.neuf.fr)
After Jim and Geoff, Jim joined the Blue Devils in 2005, and has been a permanent member
ever since.
Jim did play piano for Rory Gallagher for a short time, and was
with Marriot through the Humble Pie, Packet Of Three, and the Official Receivers period.
Jim uses a 1964 precision bass, named by Henry McCulloch, "The
Queen Of The Road". He bought it in 1965, where it had been hanging in a shop
in Denmark St. for months, ordered for Paul McCartney, who never collected it! It was
to replace a Daphne Blue 1962 Precision that was stolen in Liverpool. The only two
people to ever have played Jim's bass besides him are Jimi Hendrix and Zoot Money.
Jim briefly used a jazz bass, bought for him by Noel Redding, but traded this against
the '64, which he still uses today.
Jim also has a very rare L/H WAL bass.
Oh..you didn't know...very important..Jim was with The Walker Brothers...before
Fat Mattress. He also sang backing vocals with Trevor Burton (of the Move) on Jimi
Hendrix's song "Fire"...also was a good personal friend of Ahmet Ertegun
and James Jamerson.
In the sixties, Jamerson handed Jim a set of La Bella flatwound
bass strings... "Deep Talkin' Bass original 1954 model" ..G-052, D-073, A-095,
E-110, and said "use these".
Jim never looked back, and although today uses Thomastik flatwounds, (the La Bella's
are HARD going!!) has never forgotten this!
We are both agreed that James Jamerson was the most inventive, imaginative and rhythmic
bass player ever.
best wishes,
Richard
Jim is very much an Ampeg man, and his preferred model is the SVT.
He did use an Acoustic set up with Steve Marriot, with a reflex cab.
His main amp today though, is a B15N portaflex that belonged to Ronnie Lane of the
Small Faces, and Faces. The amp can be seen in Faces footage on youtube. He also uses
a 50w blackface Fender Bassman with 2x12 cab, and a small Ashdown combo for small gigs
and rehearsals.
For Caravan gigs and Festivals however, Jim always asks for the SVT with 8x10 cab,
all valve.
(Thank´s to Richard Studholme for supporting us lefties with this
amazing informations!) |
