George Leh

George Leh

Simply put, blues, R&B, soul and rock ā€˜nā€™ roll powerhouse ā€œRockinā€™ Georgeā€ Leh is a force of nature in New Englandā€™s musical weather system. And thatā€™s been the case for over 50 years, since he first exploded on the scene like a Molotov cocktail strapped to a microphone.

Since 1967, the singer-songwriter-guitarist-keyboardist has intoxicated audiences in his solo shows like few before him ever have and few after him ever will. With his irresistible cocktail of heart-rending blues, timeless R&B, inspired soul and no-holds-barred rock ā€˜nā€™ roll, Lehā€™s contributed his singular blend of passion and presence to performances and recordings with top-tier New England artists and a whoā€™s who of internationally celebrated acts.

Born in Boston 1938, Leh has never advertised his own blindness in his stage name, unlike early-20th-century blues legends before him such as Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Boy Fuller. In fact, until the mid-ā€˜70s he was billed and credited simply as ā€œGeorge Leh,ā€ his birth name, before some fans in Maine tagged him with the moniker ā€œRockinā€™ Georgeā€ and it stuck.

EARLY BANDS, SKYHOOK, POWERHOUSE, THE THRILLERS, ROCKINā€™ SHOES

Before becoming ā€œRockinā€™ George,ā€ Leh spent 1967 at the mic with The Street Choir, CC and the Chasers and The J. Geils Blues Band. From 1968 to 1973, he was part of the 11-piece blues-R&B bandĀ SwallowĀ which included guitarist Phil Greene, bassist Vern Miller ofĀ The Remains and blues harpistĀ Parker Wheeler. Leh wrote or cowrote most of the bandā€™s material and appeared on the two albums the group recorded for Warner Bros., including 1972ā€™s Out of the Nest which featuresĀ Jeff ā€œSkunkā€ BaxterĀ on the track ā€œCome Home Woman.ā€

In 1973, after Swallow disbanded, Leh joined Boston-based blues-rock bands Skyhook until 1975, then fronted Powerhouse until 1977. Cleverly maximizing the marketing power of his snappy new nickname, from 1978-81 he fronted Rockinā€™ George and The Thrillers, then opened for The Thrillers regularly as a solo act from 1982-83 before forming George Leh & Rockinā€™ Shoes.

COLLABORATIONS, SINGLES, ALBUMS

In addition to his consistently knock-ā€˜em-dead solo appearances, Leh has Ā shared the stage with a doubly impressive assortment of major talent from New England includingĀ James Montgomery,Ā Taj Mahal, Danny Kleinā€™s Full House, Ernie and The Automatics,Ā Jon ButcherĀ andĀ Roomful of Blues. Heā€™s also appeared with a bevy of iconic blues, R&B, soul and rock acts such asĀ Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Ike and Tina Turner, Bob Seger, Grand Funk Railroad, Alice Cooper, Jefferson Airplane, Queen, Sly and the FamilyĀ Stone, The James Gang, Albert King, James Cotton, Joe Turner, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and ā€œBig Mamaā€ Thornton.

While primarily a live performer, Leh hasnā€™t stayed away from the studio. His first appearance on a record was in 1967 when CC and The Chasers recorded the single ā€œTwo and Twentyā€ b/w ā€œPut the Clock Back on the Wallā€ and he went on to cut three albums with Swallow and one with Skyhook before playing onĀ Geoff Muldaurā€™s Blues Boy in 1979. In 1981, Leh recorded two original tracks, ā€œI Ainā€™t Lyinā€™ā€ and ā€œYa Ya,ā€ for Bow Records and in 1990 he recorded the LP Bo-town Does Mo-town with George Leh and Rockin Shoes (also on Bow) while also contributing to the West End Blues Bandā€™s LP Beantown Drive.

In 2002, Bow released Lehā€™s album Danger Zone, and in 2006 he appeared on the live album Music for Middlesex with James Montgomery and singer-songwriterĀ Johnny A., a Malden, Massachusetts, native. In 2011, Leh worked with Wild Bill and Chris Fury on their record Good Groove: American Roots Music and in 2014 he played on Waltham-based blues and Americana artist Alan Arenaā€™s record Fortune Wheel.

NEW ENGLAND APPEARANCES, OFFICIAL ā€œBOSTON BLUES LEGENDā€

Leh has appeared at a wide variety of notable Boston and Boston-area venues large and small including the House of Blues, the Hard Rock CafĆ© and the Fairmount Grill in Boston, Sandyā€™s Jazz Revival in Beverly, B.B. Kings at Foxwoods Resort Casino, the Somerville City Club, The Grogg in Newburyport, Peteā€™s Bar and Grill in Quincy and The Village Trestle in Goffstown, New Hampshire. As well-known and respected for his soft-spoken gregariousness off stage as he is for his all-consuming energy and showmanship on stage ā€“ in 2011, one reviewer called Leh ā€œas feisty as a circus barkerā€ when heā€™s performing ā€“ Leh is famous for playing impromptu performances for passersby around Faneuil Hall Marketplace and commuters at MBTA stations. In 2008, the Boston City Council declared him an official ā€œBlues Legend.ā€

ā€œI like to give people the best show I can give, and hopefully my music will inspire them,ā€ he said in a 2004 interview. ā€œThis is my calling, to play and write music. This is what I do the best.ā€

(by D.S. Monahan)

Published On: September 27, 2022