Chuck Leavell

irocku / August 5, 2021

IROCKU Student Wins ‘Blues Kid of the Year’

IROCKU student, Dylan James Shaw, has been named the 'Blues Kid of the Year' by the Chicago Blues Kid Foundation. Congratulations Dylan James!!! Dylan James started with IROCKU about a year ago. Dylan James had been playing keyboard since he was 3 and has a very good ear so he already came to IROCKU as an advanced player for his age. Along with working on the IROCKU video lessons, Dylan James has been taking zoom lessons with Chuck, Rory Stuart, and Bruce Katz. Chuck has taught Dylan some of his personal blues techniques while Rory has shown Dylan James how to play complex rhythm patterns. Dylan James has also been taking weekly zoom lessons with Bruce Katz. Bruce's connection with Dylan has been magical. Bruce has helped Dylan to find his own personal groove which is a …

irocku / September 8, 2020

Coming Up!!! Blues Piano Webinar with Chuck Leavell, Oct 10

In this webinar Chuck will share ideas on techniques he uses while playing the blues. Chuck will share stories about artists he's played with and offer insights into legendary sessions and performances, teach specific techniques that are unique to him, and take questions from the participants. The webinar is focused on intermediate and advanced players but all levels are welcome.. Levels: Intermediate and Advanced ( but all levels are welcome) Date and Time: October 10 @ 3:00-4:30 PM EST We will contact you with details on how to access the webinar. …

irocku / June 24, 2020

Chuck Leavell Performs “Down the Road a Piece” at Q104.3 Studios

Chuck Performs “Down the Road a Piece” at the studios of classic rock station Q104.3. “Down the Road a Piece” was written by Don Raye in 1940. This song has been covered by a myriad of musicians and bands; Chuck Berry, Manfred Mann, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Rolling Stones, Foghat and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. The original lyrics of the song refer to musicians from the Will Bradley trio. In the subsequent cover versions, musicians’ names were usually changed to refer to members of the cover bands. In Chuck’s version he uses the lyrics from one of his life long idols, Jerry Lee Lewis. In the rock and roll history books, Chuck will be credited for being the artist who brought piano improvisation to rock and roll. In this live recording, Chuck throws us a curve ball by improvising …

irocku / December 20, 2019

This week’s piano lesson is “Joy Boogie” by Chuck Leavell.

Well it’s that time of year again and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with an arrangement from the master himself, Chuck Leavell. “Joy Boogie” is a joyful and explosive boogie-woogie version of the traditional Christmas classic, “Joy to the World”. "Joy Boogie" Piano Lesson There are few people who can match Chuck’s musical chops but we’ve done our best to turn this joyous piano celebration into a lesson that can be enjoyed by everyone; beginners through our most advanced piano students. "Joy Boogie" is packed with many of Chuck's signature techniques. It’s got a killer walking eighth-note boogie-woogie bass line (influenced by Ian Stewart), moving through a scale diatonically while harmonizing each chord tone with the I chord and each passing tone with the IV or V, …

irocku / December 10, 2019

A tale of two Capricorn Studios piano players

In the spirit of the Capricorn studio revival this month we are featuring two Capricorn recordings and the piano players behind these great recordings. "Jessica" was recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia and released in 1973. “Jessica” has proven to be one of Capricorn’s pivotal recordings. The piano solo on "Jessica" was performed by Chuck Leavell; a piano solo that pioneered improvisational rock piano. "Jessica" is this week's featured irocku piano lesson. Click below for the piano lesson and sheet music: "Jessica" piano lesson Here is another lesser known tune recorded at Capricorn Studios. “Shanty” was recorded by Jonathan Edwards in 1971 and released on Edwards’ debut album, Jonathan Edwards which included his gold record single, “Sunshine”, one of the Vietnam era’s …

URock / November 20, 2019

Featured Piano Lesson- “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crowes

The IROCKU featured piano lesson is “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes. Click below for the piano lesson and sheet music: "She Talks To Angels" piano lesson "She Talks to Angels” is a beautiful rock ballad. Blues, soul, and gospel all wrapped up into one. The Black Crowes recorded two versions of this song for their album Shake Your Money Maker. The first version, released in 1990, begins with an acoustic guitar intro and on the second version, released in 1998, Chuck Leavell provides the intro and background fills on piano. This lesser known recording has some of Chuck’s must beautiful keyboard playing. Pure, poignant, gospel piano that matches Chris Robinson’s dark vocals and lyrics. This is a great song to work on your gospel piano playing. It uses a I, IV,V gospel …

URock / November 19, 2019

The Rolling Stones keyboardist talks to us about biz, music, and saving forests.

Reprint from "Business Jet Traveler" August 2019 Chuck Leavell, the Rolling Stones’ de facto musical director, has played keyboards for the group on record and on tour since 1982. Earlier, he was a member of the Allman Brothers Band (it’s his piano solo you hear on their classic “Jessica”) and a cofounder of the jazz-rock outfit Sea Level, which took its moniker from his first initial and surname. Leavell has also performed or recorded with many other leading musicians, including Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, George Harrison, the Black Crowes, and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. The latest of his six solo albums, last year’s Chuck Gets Big, finds him backed by a 17-piece brass band and performing original songs alongside classics from the Stones, the Allman Brothers, and other …

URock / November 13, 2019

Capricorn Revival at the Macon City Auditorium

In the 1960s, The Beatles and the Stones ushered in the British Invasion while Berry Gordy brought us Motown. But if you were a high school or college student in the 1970s chances are you also had a few Capricorn Records in your vinyl collection. Capricorn Records was a label hailing out of Macon, Georgia that was founded in 1969 by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter. We can thank Capricorn Records for the emergence of Southern Rock; a fusion of blues, rock, and country music with a touch of jazz. If you dig a littler deeper, you might make the case that it was slide guitarist Duane Allman’s innovative session playing at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals that single-handedly paved the musical cow path for Southern Rock. Capricorn’s roster of artists started with Duane Allman …

irocku / October 15, 2019

A Rare Solo Show With Chuck Leavell

An Evening with Chuck Leavell Friday, December 13th, 2019 Mill Town Music Hall - Bremen Ga Time: 7:30 PM with the Randall Bramblett Band About Chuck: Chuck Leavell has been pleasing the ears of music fans for more than 40 years now. His piano and keyboard work has been heard on the works of Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, George Harrison, The Allman Brothers Band, The Indigo Girls, Blues Traveler, Train, Montgomery-Gentry, Lee Ann Womack and many, many more. In addition to being a well established pianist/artist in the music industry, Leavell is also a published author, long time tree farmer, co-founder of the popular website The Mother Nature Network, and keeps busy with his advocacy work on behalf of the environment. At the age of 13, Chuck got …

irocku / August 14, 2019

Billboard Article: Rolling Stones’ Musical Director Chuck Leavell Covers ‘Tumbling Dice’: Video Premiere

Here's an article from Billboard, Aug 13, 2019: "As the longtime music director for the Rolling Stones -- not to mention his tenures with the Allman Brothers Band, Sea Level, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, John Mayer and others -- Chuck Leavell has full rights to take on the group's catalog in his own fashion. So, not surprisingly, his brassy take on "Tumbling Dice" with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, whose video is premiering below from the keyboardist's just released new album Chuck Gets Big, is something different than what we're used to hearing him do with his "British brethren." This (album) is really a celebration of the career," Leavell tells Billboard, "so of course there's something from the Allman Brothers, something from Sea Level, something from the Stones, instrumentals …

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Chuck Leavell