Leo Lyons
Encyclopedia
Leo Lyons is an English rock
musician
, who was also the bassist
of the British
late 1960s to 1970s rock group Ten Years After
.
He first played with lead guitar
ist Alvin Lee
in The Jaybirds. In 1967 there was a name change to Ten Years After. With this group, Lyons played at major rock festival
s including Woodstock
in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival
on 29 August 1970. Ten Years After disbanded in 1976, although they later reformed several times in the 1980s and 1990s with all original members.
In 1975, he was hired as a studio manager by Chrysalis Records
to re-equip and run Wessex Studios in London
. He then produced
UFO
from 1974 to 1976. Later he started two commercial recording studio
s himself.
Lyons moved to Nashville, Tennessee
in the mid 1990s, and was a staff songwriter for Hayes Street Music. He currently plays in a reformed Ten Years After, with new frontman Joe Gooch
.
English Rock
English Rock is a rock outcrop near the foot of the western slope of Mount Frakes, in the Crary Mountains, Marie Byrd Land. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from ground surveys and U.S. Navy aerial photography, 1959-66. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Claude L....
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, who was also the bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
late 1960s to 1970s rock group Ten Years After
Ten Years After
Ten Years After is an English blues-rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, Ten Years After scored eight Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart...
.
He first played with lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee is an English rock guitarist and singer. He began playing guitar at the age of 13, and with Leo Lyons formed the core of the band Ten Years After in 1960...
in The Jaybirds. In 1967 there was a name change to Ten Years After. With this group, Lyons played at major rock festival
Rock festival
A rock festival, or a rock fest, is a large-scale rock music concert, featuring multiple acts.The first rock festivals were put on in the late 1960s and were important socio-cultural milestones. In the 1980s a minor resurgence of festivals occurred with charity as the goal.Today, they are often...
s including Woodstock
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
in 1969 and the Isle of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival 1970
The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at East Afton Farm an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of...
on 29 August 1970. Ten Years After disbanded in 1976, although they later reformed several times in the 1980s and 1990s with all original members.
In 1975, he was hired as a studio manager by Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
to re-equip and run Wessex Studios in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He then produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
from 1974 to 1976. Later he started two commercial recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
s himself.
Lyons moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in the mid 1990s, and was a staff songwriter for Hayes Street Music. He currently plays in a reformed Ten Years After, with new frontman Joe Gooch
Joe Gooch
Joe Gooch is Ten Years After's most recent lead guitarist.-Biography:Gooch was introduced to jazz and blues at an early age. By thirteen, taking his music seriously, he enrolled on a course of classical guitar lessons...
.