Event

Carl Sonny Leyland

Carl Sonny Leyland was first captivated by boogie woogie at the age of fifteen in his native England. Within three months he would be performing in public, and shortly afterward would become a member of a respected local group "The Bob Pearce Blues Band." Initially influenced by boogie woogie greats Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson & Meade 'Lux' Lewis, Leyland went on to fully explore the piano blues genre, becoming an authority on early & obscure styles such as those played by Cow Cow Davenport, Little Brother Montgomery, Montana Taylor, and Speckled Red, to name a few. He came to the U.S. in the 1980s, first to New Orleans, and later to southern California. Hes played with Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets, Big Sandy & His Flyrite Boys, and the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio (with with drummer Hal Smith and bassist Marty Eggers) has recorded seven CDs. Whether playing solo or with his trio, Leyland's playing displays an infectious spontaneity, providing plenty of surprises for the listener. While he possesses the necessary vocabulary to pay tribute to the greats of old, he refuses to be limit himself to this and prefers to let each performance be an opportunity to say something new.