The Las Vegas Blues Society recently Filmed an Interview with Legendary Blues Piano Player & Singer Leon Blue. Rev. Billy C. Wirtz joined Mr. Blue at his home in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada for a Trip Down Memory Lane; while going through memorabilia, before interviewing Mr. Blue in studio. And later joining him on stage; at the Composers Room Las Vegas, for a showcase presentation in the filming of this documentary.
Working title... "the World According to Leon Blue"
SHOOTING DIARY
"The World According to Leon"
A Documentary About Blues Pianist Leon Blue
Day 1 Leon's House
We took the day with Leon; in his garage / den, to go through memorabilia & keepsakes, learning the stories attached to each of these special memories
Day 2 Leon's House & Studio
Day 2 / of shooting saw Leon Blue spilling the tea about black keys & the blues; with William Wirths before we met up with Jimmy Carpenter (President of LVBS) who drove straight from the airport to meet up with us for and an “in studio” interview - here’s some cool stills from the day -
Day 3 Composer's Room
Low Down Band LV graciously agreed to us gate crashing their gig at the Composers Room (Thurs.Mar.07 @ 7PM) to record Leon hanging with #lasvegas #musicfamily & playing a few songs. We spread the word that all LVBS Members were invited to be a part of the audience...
Leon Blue "Blues Pianist"
Biography
Born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1931 Leon Blue is undeniably one of the finest blues piano men alive on the music scene today. For over six decades Blue has tickled the ivory and wowed audiences all over the world. The company he's kept speaks volumes about his talent, professionalism, stamina and versatility as a musician. - Leon Blue
Born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1931, Leon was first inspired to play piano in 1940 after hearing records of the pounding boogie-woogie of Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons, and also early live performances by fellow Texan Charles Brown.
By 1955, Leon and his three brothers, all also musicians, had relocated to Los Angeles and were performing as The Four Scooters. Before long Leon was making connections with a who's who of the bustling L.A. blues scene, and over the next three decades played and recorded with some of the biggest names active on the west coast (and elsewhere), including B.B. King, Albert King (who says hired and fired him three different times), Roy Milton, Fats Washington, Little Joe Blue, and many others. Leon even played fill-in gig in L.A. with Chicago blues great Muddy Waters, when Muddy's regular pianist Pinetop Perkins missed his plane.When Pinetop finally arrived, Muddy didn't want to hire him back! All of this in addition to being a regular member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue during their most successful years, from 1964 until 1978.
Although he relocated to Las Vegas in the early 1990s because of Albert Collins, he hasn't slowed down bit. He continued to tour regularly with his old friends like Roy Gaines, Sonny Rhodes or Phillip Walker, and is frequently in L.A. for gigs and recording sessions, tickling the ivories or pounding out a boogie as needed. But it wasn't until The Mannish Boys sessions in 2004 that Leon got a chance to show off his 'secret weapon' on record for the very first time - a warm and husky blues voice, that we're sure to hear more of in the future.
Nowadays, still live and kicking, Leon mostly performs as a headliner either solo or with other musicians.
Lately he spends quite some time in Holland. In 2011 this resulted to a very orginal recording during one session at Little Label, where Leon sat down at a beautiful baby grant and couldn't stop playing. This cd, Leon Blue in Holland, is beautiful, emotional, original black blues.
Leon still enjoys getting out, eating a burger & playing at the localing watering holes with members of the Las Vegas Blues Society for their Open Mic Jams.
Watch the Las Vegas Blues Society Social Media feeds for details on our progress in editing and Info on the Screening Party.
"The World According to Leon" - Jointly created & produced by Juke House Las Vegas and Lone Tube Productions for the Las Vegas Blues Society
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This project was made possible (and is wholly owned by the LAS VEGAS BLUES SOCIETY) -