Jerry Leger

Jerry Leger
Leger performing at The Loveless Barn, Nashville, 2010.
Background information
Born (1985-04-19) April 19, 1985
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres folk, Roots Rock, Rock and Roll, Folk rock, Country folk
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 2005–present
Labels Latent Recordings Warner Music Canada Fontana North Golden Rocket
Website www.jerryleger.com

Jerry Leger (born April 19, 1985) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Since 2005, he has released 10 albums (5 solo, 3 credited to Jerry Leger & The Situation and 2 with his side projects, The Del Fi's and The Bop Fi's) and toured extensively playing shows with acts such as Ron Sexsmith, The Sadies, Jesse Winchester, Fred Eaglesmith, Jill Barber, Justin Townes Earle, Deer Tick, Skydiggers, Jim Lauderdale, Dawes, Tift Merritt, Doug Paisley, among others.

Maik Bruggemeyer of Rolling Stone Magazine in the March 2018 German issue called Leger, "One of the best Canadian songwriters" and the 2017 double LP Nonsense and Heartache "...an album with many potential favourite songs, so romantic and bold, so full of energy and nostalgia, just like its creator."

Jerry Leger's music has been heard on CBC Radio shows , NPR, WSM, BBC Radio and various campus radio stations. Videos for "You Got Away From Me" and "All Over again ft. Serena Ryder" were in rotation on Country Music Television (CMT).

Ron Sexsmith has appeared on a couple of Leger's albums and called him "One of the best songwriters I've heard in quite some time." Leger's last two albums Early Riser (2014) and the double LP Nonsense and Heartache (2017) were produced by Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies and released on their record label, Latent Recordings.


Career

Leger cut his first album when he was 19 in 2005, with frequent producer/musician, Tim Bovaconti. His sophomore record, Farewell Ghost Town, followed the next year. Produced by Don Kerr and Tim Bovaconti and featuring constant Leger supporter, Ron Sexsmith on piano and Fergus Hambleton(of The Sattalites). Farewell Ghost Town was charming not only for its strong songwriting, but also in its unassuming approach.[1]

In 2007, Leger struck up a friendship with Skydiggers co-founder, Josh Finlayson. This resulted in the 2008 album, You, Me and The Horse, co-produced by Tim Bovaconti. You, Me and The Horse garnered rave reviews and pushed Leger's career forward with appearances on the popular CBC Radio show, Q, in-sessions on the legendary WSM Radio in Nashville and The WDVX concert series, Blue Plate Special in Knoxville, TN.[2]

The end of 2010 saw the release of Leger's 4th record, Traveling Grey. Ron Sexsmith remarked, "Traveling Grey is probably Jerry's best record so far and he hasn't made any bad ones.[3]

Traveling Grey is Jerry Leger's fourth album and finds him poised to indelibly add his name to the roll call that has built Toronto's international reputation as a singer/songwriter Mecca.[4] Leger revealed in Exclaim! Magazine how the record came about "It's the most spontaneous record since my first one, which was done in two days. This one rather from when we were touring out east most of July [2010]. When I got back, I just had this bug: I need to make a record. One song was written at four a.m. the night before the sessions."[5] During this time, Jerry appeared twice on Music City Roots, hosted by singer/songwriter, Jim Lauderdale, who has called Leger a great young songwriter.

In 2011, Jerry released the digital only mini album, The Good Old Days are Back in Drag. Jason Schneider at Exclaim! said "its seven tracks crackles with the raw energy of a Sun Records single." The album artwork is a sketch by Leger.

Some Folks Know was released near the end of 2012, showcasing his longtime backing band, The Situation (James McKie, Dan Mock, Kyle Sullivan), Ron Sexsmith reprising his role on piano and a duet with Serena Ryder. Ben Rayner of The Toronto Star called the album "the works of a young gifted storyteller"[6] and "some folks do indeed already know what he's up to. Time, Jerry. Give it time. It's coming." [7]

In the summer of 2013, Leger met up with Michael Timmins, member and main songwriter in the legendary band, Cowboy Junkies. This resulted in the 2014 album, Early Riser, produced by Timmins and released on the Junkies own label, Latent Recordings, distributed by Fontana North. All Jerry's previous albums had been released independently on his own label, Golden Rocket Records (named after the Hank Snow song). The album has received high acclaim from Exclaim!, NOW, The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and CBC. Zachary Houle from PopMatters called the record, "A commanding and astounding listen" and "deserving of any laurels and accolades thrown its way."[8] It's also noted for Daniel Romano providing the album artwork/design.

Winter 2015, the album Crowd Pleaser by his side project, The Del Fi's was released. It was recorded live off the floor in 10 hours with 13 musicians who barely knew or didn't know the material at all. Leger wrote all the songs, with most of them being written very quickly before going into the studio to maintain a spontaneous and loose rock 'n' roll sound. Kerry Doole at Exclaim! wrote, "It remains something of a mystery why roots troubadour Jerry Leger hasn't made more of a mark. He regularly releases albums of a high quality, he's an engaging performer and he has earned major peer respect." Adding "The record does a fine job of capturing the vitality of his band's live show...This is a crowd-pleasing addition to a worthy discography."[9] Another side project appeared in 2016 stemming from The Del Fi's called The Bop Fi's featuring poetry written and spoken by Leger with a backdrop of jazz, mainly in the bebop and cool jazz style.

Nonsense and Heartache, the Michael Timmins produced double album was released March 31, 2017 on Latent Recordings/Warner Music Canada. It appeared on Polaris Music Prize longer list and Kyle Mullin from Exclaim! said of the album, "there's no shortage of elaborate artistry on this double LP." Leger and the album received high praise in the German edition of Rolling Stone, where Nonsense and Heartache rose to #3 on the Rolling Stone album charts in Germany.

Discography

  • 2005: Jerry Leger & the Situation
  • 2006: Farewell Ghost Town
  • 2008: You, Me and the Horse
  • 2010: Traveling Grey
  • 2011: The Good Old Days Are Back in Drag (mini-album)
  • 2012: Some Folks Know
  • 2013: Live on Stage (available only at live shows)
  • 2014: Early Riser
  • 2015: Crowd Pleaser (with the Del Fi's)
  • 2016: Don't Lose Your Beauty (with the Bop Fi's)
  • 2017: Nonsense and Heartache

References

  1. ↑ Rajagopalan, Pras (February 6, 2007). "Jerry Leger & The Situation". CHARTattack. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  2. ↑ "Jerry Leger Music – News". Jerryleger.com. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  3. ↑ "CUrrent Faves". RonSexsmith.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  4. ↑ "Jerry Leger's Page – Americana and roots music". No Depression. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  5. ↑ Kerry Doole. "Reviews > FOLK & COUNTRY > Jerry Leger Traveling Grey". Exclaim!. Toronto: 1059434 Ontario Inc. exclaim.ca. p. 2. ISSN 1207-6600. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  6. ↑ https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2012/05/08/jerry_leger_on_songwriting_and_power_of_praise.html/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2013/08/03/reasons_to_live_jerry_leger_sigur_ros_and_an_east_coast_double_bill.html/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ http://www.popmatters.com/review/181024-jerry-leger-early-riser/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ http://exclaim.ca/music/article/del_fis-crowd_pleaser. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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