Jerry Leger

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 (in Canada) Proper Music (UK/Europe). 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. The reaction to Nonsense and Heartache brought Leger through Europe and the UK twice in 2018 including the Take Root Festival alongside Kurt Vile, Neko Case, Father John Misty, Alejandro Escovedo, Shakey Graves, John Moreland and others.

A 7-week tour in the Spring of 2019 coincided with the Europe-only release of the compilation Too Broke To Die: Retrospective 2005-2019 featuring studio cuts and two previously unreleased songs.

November 2019 saw the release of Time Out For Tomorrow with Michael Timmins back in the producers chair. It was met with positive reaction from American Songwriter Magazine, Uncut Magazine, The Bluegrass Situation and more. Maik Brüggemeyer in the German edition of Rolling Stone gave it 4.5 out of 5, calling it a masterpiece.

• 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 (initially only available 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
• 2018: Residuals (with the Del Fi's)
• 2019: Too Broke To Die: Retrospective 2005-2019
• 2019: Time Out For Tomorrow