Music legend Leo Sayer’s still restless after 43 years

Some 43 years since his first album, he’s had five worldwide No.1 hits, is a Grammy winning songwriter, and is considered one of the world’s most thrilling and entertaining live performers.

Now, Leo returns to the UK for a tour celebrating the release of his latest studio album, Restless Years.

The musician comes to Chequer Mead Community Arts Centre on Saturday, September 12 (7.30pm).

Leo’s career started in 1972, when he met David Courtney through an audition in his home city of Brighton. Leo and David started writing songs together, and took these to Adam Faith, who had been a pop singing icon the ’50s and ’60s. Adam saw Leo’s potential immediately, and producing his first albums with David, steered the singer-songwriter to almost instant success with 1973’s Silverbird, Leo’s debut album release.

But that wasn’t the first success for the trio of Leo, Adam and David, as a few months earlier they’d masterminded a solo album for The Who’s Roger Daltrey. This introduced Leo to the world as the writer of ‘Giving It All Away’, which went straight into the US and UK Top Ten.

The same song gave Leo the title for his second album, Just A Boy, which became a major success worldwide with the hit singles ‘Long Tall Glasses’ and ‘One Man Band’ in 1974.

By now Leo was visiting the USA, Australia, Europe and the Far East as a concert headliner. Back home, he released his third album, Another Year, featuring his third top 5 single ‘Moonlighting’.

In 1976 Leo met producer Richard Perry in Los Angeles. Richard produced three chart-topping albums for Leo. By now Leo was living in the States, composing with co writers like Barry Mann, Tom Snow, Albert Hammond, Michael Omartian, and Vini Poncia, and at the peak of his career. ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’ was a rapid US No.1.

Back in the UK, Leo was a major celebrity. His songs featured in movies and commercials. He also starred in his own TV series and played concerts for The Queen.

Leo toured extensively throughout the ’80s and ’90s, performing at venues in places as widespread as Tokyo, South Africa, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Alaska, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Vietnam.

Born in Shoreham-by-Sea, Leo now lives in Australia, but he has never stopped working, still paying frequent visits to the UK and Europe. His 14th studio album, Restless Years, will be released in the UK on Friday, September 4. Having produced and written all the songs for the new album, Leo feels he’s as prolific now as he’s ever been, and has no thoughts of slowing down.

Tickets cost £25.

Visit www.chequermead.org.uk or call the box office on 01342 302000.

Log on to www.leosayer.com find out more.

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