Yale Bulletin and Calendar

May 17-31, 1999

Volume 27, Number 32

Leavell on wood, rock and the Rolling Stones

Chuck Leavell's skill as a keyboardist and vocalist, combined with his ability to play diverse styles of music, have made him much in demand among pop music groups.

He played with the Allman Brothers Band from 1971 to 1976, performing on the group's only number-one album, "Brothers and Sisters."

His own rock/jazz/blues fusion group, Sea Level, recorded and toured in the 1970s, producing five critically acclaimed albums. Leavell has also recorded and performed with such artists as Eric Clapton, Hank Williams Jr., The Black Crowes, Charles Mingus, Blues Traveler, Kitty Wells, Indigo Girls and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, among many others. In 1998, he released a solo Christmas album, titled "What's in That Bag?"

During the last decade, Leavell has toured and recorded with the Rolling Stones as a keyboardist and vocalist, producing five albums with the group. He is currently on hiatus between the American and European legs of the Rolling Stones' "Bridges to Babylon" tour.

During his recent visit to the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Leavell touched on a number of topics. These include:

The "gifts of the forest." The nation's forests are a vital resource that touch people's lives in ways they often don't appreciate, said Leavell, noting that most people aren't aware that wood by-products are used in everything from turpentine to mineral spirits, perfumes, salad dressings, photographic film, clothing and tires. "The instrument that I play [the piano] would not exist without the wood from which it is made," he said. "What a wonderful gift that is."

Rolling with the Stones vs. gathering moss. When he's at home, Leavell is a hands-on tree farmer, who is up before sunrise and in the field by 6:30 a.m. But the world of a touring musician and that of a tree farmer are "180 degrees apart as far as scheduling and lifestyles are concerned," he said, "I find it a wonderful balance, having gone on tours and been in cities with electric atmospheres, stadiums full of people and traveling all over the place ... to come home to my place and take a quiet walk in the woods and decompress. It gives you a real interesting perspective on what's important in life."

Rapping on the Stones. Leavell offered the following observations about the four core members of the Rolling Stones:

"Mick Jagger is the most amazing front man in rock 'n roll. There's no doubt about it. I've worked with a lot of people, but when I'm up on stage working with these people, even I can't keep my eyes off Mick. He's just so entertaining."

"Keith Richards ... This cat is the riff-meister. How does he do it? 'Start Me Up' -- [singing and playing the air guitar] ba, da, dup -- two chords, three strokes, go figure, but it sticks in there; the most memorable riffs. ... He's so talented. Some people may wonder why he's still walking the planet, but that's another story."

"Charlie Watts ... the world's steadiest drummer. ... Charlie makes those four drums sound like 400."

"Ronnie Wood is the catalyst. He plays that slide guitar on top of all of it, and it just works out great."

Do the Stones dig trees? Asked what the Rolling Stones think of his enthusiasm for tree farming, Leavell said: "I think they scratch their heads a lot about it. They're amused by it. ... They joke about it from time to time. ... But they also know that I'm very sincere about it, that I believe in this stuff."

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Commencement, 1999 Style
Facility to enhance strength in environmental sciences
Guide again taps Yale as a 'must-see' attraction
'Under My (Green) Thumb': Rolling Stones sideman talks about life as a tree farmer
Summertime at Yale
Endowed Professorships
City-Wide Open Studios celebrates work of Yale and area artists
A Conversation About Welfare and the Media
Eleven honored for strengthening town-gown ties
Special award, Jovin Fund commemorate student's good works
From design to construction, program gives architecture students . . .
Graduate students cited for excellence in teaching
1999 Commencement Information
Beinecke exhibition celebrates the art of collecting books
New line of Yale ties and scarves combine architectural elements with heraldic shields
Studio classes again to highlight annual festival of arts and ideas
Project X Update
Leffell to speak about surgery for skin cancer
Kaplan honored for his work with children
Guide shows motorists where to park downtown