HISTORY

In 1971 I placed a box advert in a local Brighton newspaper looking for new music talent.a format later to be emulated by fellow 'Brightonian''Simon Cowell'  The auditions which I held at the 'Pavilion Theatre' were won by a Worthing based band called “Patches” featuring Gerry Sayer on vocal and harmonica. So began what would turn out to be a remarkable creative partnership. Gerry & I would get together everyday at my basement flat in Wykeham Terrace in Brighton to write, breaking for lunch to consume our regular diet of 'Thousands on a Raft' (beans on toast) at the local bakers. I bashed out melodies on my Knight piano in the back room while Gerry scripted his loner lyrics in the lounge the result of which produced songs such as “The Show Must Go On” and “Giving It All Away”. 

I was offered a deal from Beatles producer, George Martin’s new record label 'Air Records' but decided to present the songs that we had demoed to my former employer and friend Adam Faith. Soon thereafter, Gerry Sayer became Leo Sayer, his head of curls inspiring me to christen him Leo, after the star sign and lion and the first recordings of Leo’s debut album “Silverbird” took place at the home studio in Sussex of Roger Daltrey, the Who’s lead singer, and later at Richard Branson’s Manor studios in Oxford and the Beatles’ Apple studios.

Roger Daltrey liked the songs so much that he asked us to write his debut solo album. We had created a large backlog of material by then and gave Roger songs that they were originally intended for Leo's follow up album. Roger’s album entitled “Daltrey” which I co-produced with Adam. was released in 1973, ahead of Leo’s album, to excellent response. The first single “Giving It All Away” became a major hit in Britain and the U.S.A. and soon everybody wanted to know about the writers.

The President of Warner Brothers records in America, Joe Smith, came to Brighton that month to witness Leo in a live showcase and signed him up for a ten-album deal for North and South America and Canada. Chrysalis Records in the U.K. signed Leo for the rest of the world.

The “Silverbird” album reached number 2 in the album chart. The B.B.C. put Leo in Concert on T.V. and as the year of 1973 drew to a close both the Melody Maker and The Sun newspaper (on the cover of it’s new year issue) predicted Leo Sayer as “The Star Of ‘74” and the rest as they say is history.