Jackie Leven

Jackie Leven, born June 18, 1950 in Fife, Scotland is a Scottish songwriter and folk music musician.

Biography

Jackie Leven made his first forays into the music business in the late 1960s under the pseudonym "John St Field" and recorded one album "Control" in 1971.

In the following years he travelled, but enthusiastic about Punk he formed the band Doll by Doll in 1978 who, despite having a unique and powerful live act, never broke through to the mainstream. They released four albums between 1979 and 1982.Blending LSD visions, folk, blues, celtic, psychedelic and punk influences the band, who featured Leven as main songwriter, often explored the darker side of human nature (Butcher Boy/Sleeping Partners/The Palace of Love) contrasted by the tough almost macho tenderness of Stripshow/Chances/Janice/Highland Rain/Hey Sweetheart.

After Doll by Doll disintegrated in 1983 Leven embarked on his solo career. However following a vicious and unprovoked attack in the street during the recording of his first solo album in 1984, Jackie was left unable to speak for nearly two years -- the after effects of near strangulation. During that time he slid into heroin addiction. Despite that he, with fellow ex-Doll by Doll's Joe Shaw and David Macintosh plus ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, released a single "Big Tears" under the name "Concrete Bulletproof Invisible" which was a Melody Maker single of the week in 1988. He eventually cured himself of his addiction though a mixture of acupuncture and psychic healing, this led him to form the CORE trust, which favours a holistic approach to the treatment of heroin addiction.

In 1994 his solo career started in earnest with the release of the album "The Mystery of Love is Greater than the Mystery of Death", which earned much critical praise. Since then he has been extremely prolific, releasing another 12 official solo albums and a number of fanclub only releases, including a joint album with crime writer Ian Rankin "Jackie Leven Said", featuring the keyboards of Michael Cosgrave. His most recent release, in 2007, is the album "Oh What a Blow That Phantom Dealt Me!".

In 2006 Jackie released the album Songs For Lonely Americans using the pseudonym Sir Vincent Lone.A second Sir Vincent Lone CD When The Bridegroom Comes (Songs For Women) is now available, initially from live shows and Cooking Vinyl with a full release in February 2008...this is what Jackie had to say about SVL from the Cooking Vinyl webpage

A Message From Jackie Leven

Some years ago I noticed that I was writing a lot more songs than I was ever going to record and get released, especially in these times where you can only release one studio album every eighteen months. As I am a writer of genius, this began to worry me more and more. So I went to see my Cooking Vinyl boss, Martin Goldschmidt, to ask him if I could make more records. He said no. I said to him 'look, The Beatles once released four albums in one year, and nobody said to them, hey that's too many records in one year'. Martin said 'Jackie, this is not 1967 and you are not The Beatles'. We talked some more and we agreed that I could make records under a different name - that name is Sir Vincent Lone.

Jackie Leven has finished work on a new album for Cooking Vinyl entitled "Lovers At The Gun Club", due for release on 18th August 2008.

Guitar details

Leven plays in an open E tuning whose notes are from lowest to highest E Ab B E Ab B (as told by Jackie himself). This tuning gives many very distinctive voicings and a unique playing style.

Discography

As John St Field

* Control (Cooking Vinyl, 1971)

Leven admits this is probably his favourite album and he loves the bass playing which is all his!

As a member of Doll by Doll

* Remember (Automatic, 1979)
* Gypsy Blood (Automatic, 1979)
* Doll By Doll (Magnet, 1980)
* Grand Passion (Magnet, 1982)
* Revenge of Memory (Live at The Sheffield Limits Club 1980) (Haunted Valley, 2005)

As a solo artist

* The Mystery of Love Is Greater Than The Mystery of Death (Cooking Vinyl, 1994)
* Forbidden Songs of The Dying West (Cooking Vinyl, 1995)
* The Argyll Cycle (Cooking Vinyl, 1996)
* For Peace Comes Dropping Slow (Haunted Valley, 1997)
* Fairytales For Hardmen (Cooking Vinyl, 1997)
* Saint Judas: When I Went Out To Kill Myself (Haunted Valley, 1998)
* Man Bleeds In Glasgow (Haunted Valley, 1999) - as Jackie Leven and the Celtic Soulmen
* Night Lilies (Cooking Vinyl, 1998)
* The Wanderer (Haunted Valley, 1999)
* Greek Notebook (Haunted Valley, 1999)
* Munich Blues (Haunted Valley, 2000)
* Defending Ancient Springs (Cooking Vinyl, 2000)
* Creatures of Light And Darkness (Cooking Vinyl, 2000)
* Deep In The Heart of Nowhere (Haunted Valley, 2001)
* Shining Brother, Shining Sister (Cooking Vinyl, 2001)
* Greetings From Milford (Haunted Valley, 2002) - with The Stornoway Girls
* Men In Prison (Live from Bergen Prison) (Haunted Valley, 2003)
* For Peace Comes Dropping Slow (Cooking Vinyl, 2004)
* Songs For Lonely Americans (Glitterhouse, 2004) - as 'Sir Vincent Lone'
* Jackie Leven Said (Cooking Vinyl, 2005) - with Ian Rankin
* Elegy For Johnny Cash (Cooking Vinyl, 2005)
* Oh What a Blow That Phantom Dealt Me! (Cooking Vinyl, 2007)

Persondata
NAME= Leven, Jackie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=musician, songwriter and poet
DATE OF BIRTH= 1950-6-18
PLACE OF BIRTH= FifeScotland, GB
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=

External links

* [http://www.jackieleven.co.uk/ Unofficial Jackie Leven site]
* [http://www.cookingvinyl.com/ Cooking Vinyl (Jackie Leven's record company)]
* [http://www.coretrust.co.uk The CORE trust]
* [http://www.rockreviews.co.uk/ Rock Reviews]