Leroy Burgess

Disco soul singer, keyboard player, songwriter and producer Leroy Burgess. 

Lead member of groups Black Ivory, Convertion, LOGG, Inner Life and many more.

Over the period from the late-1970s to mid-1980s, Burgess’ fingerprints were on so many different productions that even his most meticulous and loyal fans have struggled to keep tabs on all his recording sessions. A multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer, arranger and composer, Burgess’ impact on the history of dance music, from the birth of house to the founding of boogie, is beyond measure. His trio Black Ivory were originally helped to prominence by legendary producer Patrick Adams, who worked on their first release Don’t Turn Around, a Top 40 hit on the R’n’B singles chart in 1969. In the 1980s, in addition to collaborating alongside an incalculable list of disco, funk and soul collectives (including Inner Life, Aleems, Dazzle and Universal Robot Band) and solo artists (such as Eddie Kendricks, Rick James and Fonda Rae), the master still found time to form two new groups of his own. Firstly, there was Convention, whose first single Let’s Do It is nothing short of a timeless dancefloor classic. Over 36 years on from its original release in 1980, Leroy would be invited to the Grammy Awards by Louis Vega (Master at Work) thanks to the latter’s epic remix of the song, which features on his long player Starring XXVIII, nominated in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2017. Shortly afterwards came LOGG. The new group announced its arrival in 1981 with an eponymous album, considered by many to be one of the best boogie/funk records ever made and a landmark release in the development of proto-house. Masterfully crafted by Leroy Burgess, LOGG is without a doubt one of the albums that has most influenced the house scene, from founding fathers such as Larry Levan – who remixed the track I Know You Will – to modern artists including Motor City Drum Ensemble who, in 2015, sent crowds at the Dekmantel Festival into raptures by playing Dancing into the Stars. Indeed it was MCDE, curating the Nuits Sonores festival in 2016, who invited his idol to play a greatest hits show backed by a ten-piece live band who then became Leroy's key band. This one-off spectacle caught the imagination of the international media, programmers and artists of the callibre of Sadar Bahar, DJ Harvey or Lakuti. The France-based band bring the true sound of the classic records, and there is so surprise that his first European tour in November 2017 after a several decades in the business was celebrated by Gilles Peterson, Floating Points, Hunee, Motor City Drum Ensemble and a series of sold-out shows. November was the crowning jewel, followed by Leroy's shows at Freedom Time Festival in Australia with Harvey Sutherland band.

 Productions, co-productions (and songs) appear on:

Aleem feat. Leroy Burgess: LP/CD Casually Formal (Atlantic, 1986)
Aleem: 12 INCH "Get Loose" (NIA, 1984)
Aleem: LP/CD Shock! (Atlantic, 1987)
Black Ivory: LP Feel It (Buddah, 1975)
Black Ivory: LP Black Ivory (Buddah, 1976)
Caprice: 12 INCH "100%" (NIA, 1985)
Caprice: 12 INCH "Personal Injury" (NIA,1986)
Convertion: 12 INCH "Let's Do It" (SAM, 1980)
Dazzle: LP Dazzle (De-Lite, 1979)
Dino Terrell: 12 INCH "You Can Do It (It's So Easy)" (New Image, 1985)
Fantastic Aleems, The: 12 INCH "Hooked On Your Love" (NIA, 1980)
Herbie Mann: LP/CD Super Mann (Atlantic, 1978)
High Frequency: 12 INCH "Summertime" (NIA, 1980)
Inner Life: LP/CD Inner Life II (Salsoul, 1982)
Inner Life: 12 INCH "No Way" (Personal, 1983)
Intrigue: 12 INCH "Fly Girl" (World Trade, 1984)
Kool Kyle: 12 INCH "Getting Over" (Frills, 1982)
Leroy Burgess: 12 INCH "Heartbreaker" / "Stranger" (Salsoul, 1983)
Logg: LP/CD Logg (Salsoul, 1981)
Mike Gee: 12 INCH "Rappers Revenge" (Streetwise, 1984)
Phreek: LP Patrick Adams Presents Phreek (Atlantic, 1978)
Skipworth & Turner: LP/CD Harlem Nights (4th & Broadway, 1989)
Venus Dodson: LP Night Rider (Warner Bros., 1979)

Other contributions:

Black Ivory: LP Hangin' Heavy (Buddah, 1979) - songwriter
Black Ivory: 12 INCH "I've Got My Eye On You" (Panoramic, 1985) - songwriter
Bobbi Humphrey: 12 INCH "No Way" (Mercury, 1986) - songwriter
Change: LP/CD Sharing Your Love (RFC-Atlantic, 1982) - songwriter
Class Action feat. Chris Wiltshire: 12 INCH "Weekend" (Sleeping Bag, 1983) - songwriter
Convertion: 12 INCH "Sweet Thing" (Vanguard, 1982) - songwriter, musician
Conversion: 12 INCH "I Can't Stop Dancin'" (Helly-O, 1984) - songwriter
Debbie Blackwell: 12 INCH "Once You Got Me Going" (Jump Street, 1986) - songwriter
Eddie Kendricks: LP Something More (Arista, 1979) - songwriter
Fonda Rae: 12 INCH "Over Like A Fat Rat" (Vanguard, 1982) - songwriter, arranger
Inner Life: 12 INCH "Let's Change It Up" (Personal, 1984) - songwriter
Inner Life: 12 INCH "Your Love" (Personal, 1986) - songwriter
Intrique: 12 INCH "Together Forever" (Cooltempo, 1987) - songwriter
Rick James: LP/CD Garden Of Love (Motown, 1980) - songwriter
Satin, Silk & Lace: 12 INCH "Your Love" (Prelude, 1986) - songwriter
T.S. Monk: LP/CD Human (Mirage-Atlantic, 1982) - songwriter
Universal Robot Band, The: 12 INCH "Barely Breaking Even" (Streetwave, 1984) - songwriter