Greg Leisz

Gregory Brian Leisz (/liːs/ LEESS;[1] born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, banjo, lap steel and pedal steel guitar.

Greg Leisz
Leisz playing mandolin in Eric Clapton's band in 2013
Leisz playing mandolin in Eric Clapton's band in 2013
Background information
Birth nameGregory Brian Leisz
Born (1949-09-18) September 18, 1949
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
GenresRock, folk, country, pop, jazz, blues, acoustic
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Lap steel, pedal steel guitar, guitar, dobro, mandolin, banjo
Years activeMid-1960s–present
Member ofThe Forest Rangers

Biography
Leisz playing lap steel in Eric Clapton's band, Charlotte, North Carolina, April 2, 2013

Leisz grew up in the garage band culture of mid-1960s Southern California. He spent time at the Ashgrove, the Troubador, and clubs on the Sunset Strip . He began playing guitar and soon added dobro and lap steel, inspired to pick up the pedal steel after hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Buddy Emmons. In 1975, he toured with John Stewart (formerly of The Kingston Trio). He was a member of Funky Kings who released their eponymous debut album on Arista Records in 1976. After the band broke up, he became a popular musician both in the studio and on the road.

In 1987, Leisz began working with Dave Alvin (formerly of The Blasters). Their collaboration led to Leisz producing several of Alvin's albums, including King of California, Black Jack David, Ashgrove, and West of the West. In 1989, he played on k.d. lang's Grammy-winning Absolute Torch and Twang and joined her on the resulting tour. For the next eighteen years he toured with Lang and recorded with her, including her album Ingenue. Starting the early 1990s, he worked often with Matthew Sweet, played on Sweet's album Girlfriend and toured with him.

In January 2008, Leisz joined the group Works Progress Administration, a band composed of Leisz, Sean Watkins (guitar), his sister Sara Watkins (fiddle), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals), Benmont Tench (piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). The group released their debut album, WPA, on September 15, 2009.

In 2010 and 2011, Leisz toured with Ray LaMontagne as a member of his backing band, The Pariah Dogs. He toured in 2013 as a member of Eric Clapton's band, in 2015 as a member of Jackson Browne's band, and again in 2017. He appeared in the 2016 Cameron Crowe cable television series Roadies, accompanying Jackson Browne on three songs in the last episode of the series.

Leisz played mandolin on the mid-2021 Bob Dylan recordings of "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," "The Times They Are A-Changin' (song)," "Simple Twist of Fate," "Gotta Serve Somebody," and "Not Dark Yet" produced by T-Bone Burnett and recorded and mixed by Michael Piersante for a one-time sale as Ionic Originals.[2]

Greg married Estonian musician Mai Leisz in April 2018.

Awards
Leisz playing guitar with Jackson Browne (left) in Greenville, South Carolina, 2015

In 2010, Leisz was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist by the Americana Music Association.

In 2011 he received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for his contributions to Ray LaMontagne's album God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise (2010).[3]

Discography

As sideman

With Ryan Adams

With Amy Allison

  • Sad Girl (Diesel Only, 2001)
  • Sheffield Streets (Urban Myth, 2009)

With The Bangles

With Beck

With Jackson Browne

  • The Naked Ride Home (Elektra, 2002)
  • Standing in the Breach (Inside Recordings, 2014)
  • Downhill from Everywhere (Inside Recordings, 2021)

With Peter Case

  • Torn Again (Vanguard, 1995)
  • Full Service No Waiting (Vanguard, 1998)
  • Flying Saucer Blues (Vanguard, 2000)
  • Who's Gonna Go Your Crooked Mile? (Vanguard, 2004)

With Eric Clapton

With Joe Cocker

  • Organic (550 Music, 1996)
  • Hymn for My Soul (EMI, 2007)

With Holly Cole

  • Dark Dear Heart (Alert, 1997)
  • Night (Universal Music, 2012)

With Paula Cole

  • This Fire (Imago, 1996)
  • Amen (Imago, 1999)
  • Courage (Decca, 2007)

With A. J. Croce

  • Adrian James Croce (Seedling, 2004)
  • Cage of Muses (Seidling, 2009)

With David Crosby

  • Sky Trails (BMG, 2017)
  • For Free (BMG, 2021)

With Marshall Crenshaw

  • Life's Too Short (MCA Records, 1991)
  • Miracle of Science (Razor & Tie, 1996)
  • 447 (Razor & Tie, 1999)
  • What's In The Bag? (Razor & Tie, 2003)
  • Jaggedland (429 Records, 2009)

With Shawn Colvin

  • Fat City (Columbia, 1992)
  • These Four Walls (Nonesuch, 2006)

With Sheryl Crow

  • The Globe Sessions (A&M, 1998)
  • Wildflower (A&M, 2005)

With Grey DeLisle

  • Homewrecker (Humminbird, 2002)
  • The Graceful Ghost (Sugar Hill, 2004)
  • Iron Flowers (Sugar Hill, 2005)

With Don Felder

  • Road to Forever (Top Ten, 2012)
  • American Rock 'n' Roll (BMG, 2019)

With John Fogerty

With Bill Frisell

  • Good Dog, Happy Man (Nonesuch, 1999)
  • Blues Dream (Nonesuch, 2001)
  • The Intercontinentals (Nonesuch, 2003)
  • Disfarmer (Nonesuch, 2009)
  • All We Are Saying (Savoy Jazz, 2011)
  • Guitar in the Space Age! (OKeh, 2014)

With Amy Grant

  • Behind the Eyes (A&M, 1997)
  • Somewhere Down the Road (Sparrow, 2010)

With Haim

With John Wesley Harding

  • Why We Fight (Sire, 1992)
  • John Wesley Harding's New Deal (Forward, 1996)

With Natalie Hemby

  • Puxico (GetWrucke, 2017)
  • Pins and Needles (Fantasy, 2021)

With Joe Henry

  • Civilians (ANTI, 2007)
  • Invisible Hour (ANTI, 2014)

With Missy Higgins

With Mark Knopfler

  • One Deep River (EMI, 2024)

With Miranda Lambert

With k.d. lang

  • Shadowland (Sire Records, 1988)
  • Absolute Torch and Twang (Warner Bros. Records, 1989)
  • Ingenue (Warner Bros. Records, 1992)
  • Drag (Warner Bros. Records, 1997)
  • Invincible Summer (Warner Bros. Records, 2000)
  • Watershed (Nonesuch Records, 2008)

With Amos Lee

  • Supply and Demand (Blue Note Records, 2006)
  • Last Days at the Lodge (Blue Note Records, 2008)
  • Mission Bell (Blue Note Records, 2011)
  • As the Crow Flies (Blue Note Records, 2012)
  • My New Moon (Dualtone Records, 2018)

With Charles Lloyd

  • I Long to See You (Blue Note, 2016)
  • Vanished Gardens (Blue Note, 2018) featuring Lucinda Williams

With Jim Lauderdale

With John Mayer

With Joni Mitchell

With Keb' Mo'

  • The Door (Epic, 2000)
  • Big Wide Grin (Sony, 2001)
  • Suitcase (Epic, 2006)

With The Murmurs

  • Pristine Smut (MCA Records, 1997)
  • Blender (MCA Records, 1998)

With Willie Nelson

  • The Great Divide (Lost Highway, 2002)
  • Heroes (Legacy, 2012)

With Aaron Neville

  • I Know I've Been Changed (EMI, 2010)
  • My True Story (Blue Note, 2012)

With Randy Newman

  • Bad Love (DreamWorks Pictures, 1999)
  • Harps and Angels (Nonesuch Records, 2008)

With Mark Olson

  • My Own Jo Ellen (HighTone Records, 2000)
  • The Salvation Blues (Hacktone, 2007)

With Judith Owen

  • Lost And Found (Century of Progress, 2005)
  • Somebody's Child (Twanky, 2016)

With Sam Phillips

  • Omnipop (It's Only a Flesh Wound Lambchop) (Virgin, 1996)
  • Cameras in the Sky (Littlebox Recordings, 2011)

With Chuck Prophet

  • Balinese Dancer (China, 1993)
  • Homemade Blood (Cooking Vinyl, 1997)
  • No Other Love (New West, 2002)
  • ¡Let Freedom Ring! (Yep, 2009)

With Bonnie Raitt

  • Slipstream (Redwing, 2012)
  • Dig In Deep (Redwing, 2016)

With Carrie Rodriguez

With Vonda Shepard

  • It's Good Eve (Vesperalley, 1996)
  • By 7:30 (Jacket, 1999)
  • From the Sun (Redeye, 2008)

With Bruce Springsteen

With Matthew Sweet

  • Girlfriend (Zoo, 1991)
  • 100% Fun (Zoo, 1995)
  • In Reverse (Volcano, 1999)
  • Kimi Ga Suki (RCAM, 2003)
  • Living Things (RCAM, 2004)
  • Sunshine Lies (Shout! Factory, 2008)

With Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs

  • Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (Shout! Factory, 2006)
  • Under the Covers, Vol. 2 (Shout! Factory, 2009)

With Shannon McNally

  • Jukebox Sparrows (Capitol Records, 2002)
  • Geronimo (Black Porch Records, 2005)

With Teddy Thompson

  • Teddy Thompson (Virgin, 2000)
  • Upfront & Down Low (Verve Forecast, 2007)

With Tiger Army

  • Tiger Army (Hellcat, 1999)
  • V •••– (Rise, 2016)

With St. Vincent

With Loudon Wainwright III

  • Here Come the Choppers (Sovereign, 2005)
  • Recovery (Yep Roc, 2008)

With Rufus Wainwright

With Gillian Welch

  • Revival (Almo Sounds, 1996)
  • Soul Journey (Acony, 2003)

With Jennifer Warnes

  • The Well (Virgin, 2001)
  • Another Time, Another Place (BMG, 2018)

With Lucinda Williams

With Robbie Williams

With Victoria Williams

  • Loose (Atlantic, 1994)
  • Musings of a Creek Dipper (Atlantic, 1998)
  • Water to Drink (Atlantic, 2000)

With Brian Wilson

  • Imagination (Giant, 1998)
  • Gettin' In Over My Head (Brimel, 2004)

With Wolf Bros

  • Live in Colorado (Third Man, 2022)
  • Live in Colorado Vol. 2 (Third Man, 2022)

With others

References
  1. "Greg Leisz and The Omni Pedal". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  2. "Three Bob Dylan Re-Recordings to Go Up for Private Sale Via Christie's: 'Simple Twist of Fate,' 'Gotta Serve Somebody,' 'Masters of War' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  3. "Lady Antebellum Takes Home Five Grammys; Justin Bieber Gets Beat for Best Newcomer". Fox News. Associated Press. February 14, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Greg Leisz.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.