Legendary South Wales rocker Deke Leonard has died.
The famed guitarist of Merthyr band Man passed away aged 72, leaving behind a lengthy showbiz legacy which saw him count John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix as fans – the latter telling him his music was “far out , man.”
Guitarist Deke Leonard (cause undisclosed, age 72), best remembered for his several stints in ’70s Welsh rock band Man, whose style was a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues & country-rock; evolving out of ’60s group The Bystanders, Man was renowned for extended jams in their live performances, often drawing comparisons to american bands like The Grateful Dead or Quicksilver Messenger Service ,they are considered among the pioneers of the ‘Jam Band‘ genre; though little known in America. But in Europe Man is considered by many to be the greatest rock band ever to emerge from Wales; among their many cult fave albums, 1974’s ‘Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics’ . Deke departed & reunited with Man on several occasions while convening & disbanding multiple incarnations of his own band, Deke Leonards Iceberg his most recent solo effort, ‘Freedom and Chains’, was issued in 2005 . Deke was also a prolific writer, publishing the books ‘Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics: The Legend of Man, a Rock N’ Roll Band’, ‘Maybe I Should’ve Stayed in Bed?’, ‘The Twang Dynasty – From Memphis to Merthyr’, ‘Guitarists That Rocked the World’ & ‘Maximum Darkness: Man on the Road to Nowhere’…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KzRErtbAgA
Leonard had recently moved back to his hometown of Llanelli in Wales, where he lived with his “longtime partner Mary” and had been gigging with Son of Man, a group featuring an assortment of the band’s original members playing alongside their children. “He played his last gigs with Son of Man, and he was playing great, and singing great, and feeling positive,” said George Jones, whose father, Micky, played guitar in the classic Man lineup. “He was saying he wanted to do something this year with Iceberg, and had been working on material. I feel like I have lost a parent.
Leonard charted a fairly fluid musical path, departing and reuniting with Man on a number of occasions while convening and disbanding multiple incarnations of Iceberg. In addition to playing on dozens of albums with Man, Iceberg and a slew of other musicians,
No cause of death for Leonard, but he’d faced health issues in the past; he was sidelined from Man for a period in 1996, after he suffered what the band described as a “mild stroke.”
Writer and producer Kevin Allen, a longtime friend, shared his own feelings in the wake of Leonard’s death, “Deke was a true gentlemen of acid rock and he had a fantastic presence on stage. How on earth he survived that era to remain so erudite and engaging was a mystery. Deke was such an interesting, gentle and lovely person and he was part of a dying breed – he’ll be really missed. And I don’t think I ever saw a man polish off a packet of Embassy Regal with such aplomb as Deke Leonard.”
Man ‘Day & Night’
Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC TV, 10th january 1975
The Fat Angel Sings 