WANT MORE?
Georgia
' s own self-taught musician plays the keys and nurtures the trees. Since 1982 he has served as the principal touring keyboardist and musical director of The Rolling Stones.
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WANT MORE?
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CHUCK LEAVELL
Georgia
' s own self-taught musician plays the keys and nurtures the trees. Since 1982 he has served as the principal touring keyboardist and musical director of The Rolling Stones.
INTERVIEW BY JULIE HARRIS
CMO, Ansley Real Estate Christie ' s International
Let’ s go back to the beginning of the Allman Brothers and Capricorn records in Macon, 1972. Life and middle Georgia were a lot different. Tell us about joining the band, the evolution of it after Duane died.
TAKE A BOW Chuck Leavell with The Rolling Stones
MUSIC
Y ou say your success was built on one thing leading to another. The“ leading’ would never have happened without the singular talent, point of view, and your approach to the work with the keyboards. When you consider all you have done, what stands out in your mind?
How fortunate I’ ve been throughout my career. I remember my dad liked“ old sayings”, and one was“ You make your own luck”… I think that means that you need to put in the work to learn your skill, then look for opportunities to use that skill, but in a way that doesn’ t make you look“ pushy”. No matter your passion, you need to learn the fundamentals, put in the practice, do the hard work … then you can“ let go” and enjoy yourself, using your particular skills in your own unique way.
I have watched the documentary on your career, Chuck Leavell--The Tree Man, 4 times. Your story has a lot to it, and it was sewn together beautifully--lots of famous friends are interviewed, along with your family, and it is clear that you are a musician’ s musician. What happens when you listen to a piece of music that you’ ll contribute to? What’ s that process?
My first question to myself is:“ What is this song asking me to do? What instrument does it want me to play? Piano? Electric piano? Organ? More than one instrument? If so, how would I play to compliment more than two instruments? And what can I play to compliment the vocal, and the rest of the band?” Then also:“ What is the artist looking to get out of me … what is the producer looking for?” Once I get some kind of picture in my mind of these things … which is usually a fairly quick process, then I put my hands on the instrument and let them find their way. It may take some refinement, some experimentation … but more often than not, the first inspiration is my best one.
Well, before I joined the ABB, I joined Capricorn Records. I came in from Tuscaloosa, following my friend and mentor, Paul Hornsby … who had played in a pre-cursor band with Gregg and Duane out in California called The Hour Glass. They had broken up, and Paul came back to Alabama, settled in Tuscaloosa. He played great guitar and organ, and recruited me into a band called The South Camp. I learned a lot from Paul in the year plus that I played in that band … then he had an opportunity to move to Macon to be a studio musician and producer. So, being curious, I traveled over to Macon to check things out. The short of it was that I moved there and started“ moving up the ladder”. I was eighteen when I moved there … and I played in a band called Sundown that did one record and toured a bit …
THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND 1973
THE ANSLEY PAPER | SPRING 2025