COVER STORY - PEOPLE
from rock music to farming trees, pianist Chuck Leavell never lost sight of his roots Through an amazing and multi-faceted career, Chuck Leavell never lost sight of his Southern roots. The Alabama native learned piano and keyboards (mainly self-taught) as a youngster. started a band by the time he was 13, played on several records at the Muscle Shoals studios, and moved to Macon in 1970, attracted by the music scene sprouting around Capricorn Records. In the years since, Leavell has played with the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, George Harrison and many other rock headliners. When Leavell was barely 20, he was asked to join the Allman Brothers Band following the death of guitarist Duane Allman. After the group disbanded for a time, he founded the rock-jazzblues fusion outfit Sea Level, which recorded for Capricorn. He toured with the Rolling Stones in 1982 and eventually became their musical director. He finished his latest tour with them just this past fall. Leavell is also a passionate tree farmer and environmentalist who has written and spoken extensively on both subjects. He lives on a woody spread just outside Macon where he farms trees. Recently, he answered questions via email from Atlanta Senior Life contributor Mark Woolsey. Answers have been edited for length. Q. What got you interested in music, particularly the keyboard? A. My mom played piano, not professionally nor was she a teacher, but she played for family enjoyment. I loved hearing her play, I was fascinated watching her hands go up and down the keys and loved the melodies and harmonies I heard. I eventually started figuring some things out and even took lessons for a
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FEBRUARY 2022 | AtlantaSeniorLife.com
short time, but I mainly I just experimented on my own and started learning the ropes on the instrument. Q. What was it like at Capricorn in the early 1970s and what led to your joining the Allmans? A. I had worked previously with some artists on the Capricorn label both in the studio and on tour. The sessions were going quite well and sometimes in the evenings the rest of the ABB would come in and jam. After a couple of weeks of those jam sessions, I got a call from Phil Walden, the band’s manager, to come see him. I wondered if I had done something wrong. When I went in for the meeting, the rest of the ABB was there. A few pleasantries were exchanged and then the shoe dropped. “The guys feel like things are sounding really good playing with you and would like to know if you would like to join as a member?” It was quite a surprise, certainly a welcome one. Chuck Leavell
Q. How different is being on tour today compared with decades ago? A. The technology has played a bigger role on every tour. Everything from the audio and production have become more and more sophisticated and played a bigger and bigger role every time we embark on a new tour. Musically, the band [the Rolling Stones] has become much more consistent over the years. The more we do it, the better we get as a unit. So much is just instinctive now when we play together. Q. What’s your take on today’s popular music? A. There are so many bands and artists on the charts and being streamed and downloaded these days that I have no idea who they are. It’s not something I tend to focus on very much. Some of the ones I can relate to, like
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