Leo Sayer

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Leo Sayer
Sayer.JPG
Leo Sayer in 2009
Background information
Birth name Gerard Hugh Sayer
Born (1948-05-21) 21 May 1948 (age 75)
Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England, UK
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
  • entertainer
Instruments
Years active 1973–present
Labels Chrysalis (United Kingdom)
Warner Bros. and Rhino (United States)
Universal (Aus)
Associated acts Roger Daltrey
Website Leosayer.com
Notable instruments
Harmonica

Leo Sayer (born Gerard Hugh Sayer; 21 May 1948)[2] is a British-born singer-songwriter musician, and entertainer (now an Australian citizen and resident) whose singing career has spanned four decades.

Sayer launched his career in the UK in the early 1970s and became a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s.[3] His first seven hit singles in the United Kingdom all reached the Top 10 – a feat first registered by his first manager, Adam Faith.[3] His songs have been sung by other notable artists, including Cliff Richard's, "Dreamin'".

Early life

Sayer was born to an English father and an Irish mother in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, where he attended St Peter's Catholic Primary School. Later he attended Blessed Robert Southwell (now Chatsmore) in Goring[4] before studying commercial art and graphic design at West Sussex College of Art and Design in Worthing, Sussex.[5] He was initially discovered by musician David Courtney, who then co-managed and co-produced him with former pop singer turned manager, Adam Faith.[2]

In January 1967, while 18-year-old Sayer was working as a hall porter at the King's Hotel in Hove, he assisted in the rescue of guests from a fire that damaged the first floor of the hotel. He was rescued by builders working on a block of flats beside the hotel.[6]

Career

Sayer began his music career co-writing songs with David Courtney, including "Giving It All Away", which gave Roger Daltrey of The Who his first solo hit in 1973.[2] The same year, Sayer began his career as a recording artist under the management guidance of Adam Faith, who signed Sayer to the Chrysalis label in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the USA. His debut single "Why Is Everybody Going Home" failed to chart, but he shot to national prominence in the UK with his second single, the plaintive music hall-styled song "The Show Must Go On", which Sayer memorably performed on British television wearing a pierrot costume and make-up. The single went quickly to #2 on the UK chart,[2] as did his debut album Silverbird, for which Sayer wrote nine of the eleven tracks; the other two tracks were co-written with Courtney, who co-produced the album with Adam Faith.

His subsequent singles were all major UK hits - "One Man Band" went to #6 in 1974; "Long Tall Glasses" (UK #4, 1974) became his first US Top Ten hit, reaching #9, and "Moonlighting" went to #2 in the UK in 1975. In 1976, Sayer recorded three Beatles songs, "I Am the Walrus", "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" for the Beatles-themed concept film, All This and World War II. His albums in this period were also consistently successful in the UK, and he scored five consecutive Top 10 placings on the UK album chart between 1973 and 1977. He also garnered success as an album artist in the USA, beginning with his second LP Just A Boy (1974), which reached #16. His fourth album Endless Flight (1976) consolidated his international popularity, reaching #4 in the UK and #10 in the USA; it also charted strongly in other countries including Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand, and was certified as a platinum album in both the UK and the USA, and double-platinum in Canada.[citation needed]

The peak of his career came in 1977, when he scored two consecutive US number one hits, first with the disco-styled "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (a Grammy Award winner for the year's best Rhythm and Blues Song), followed by the romantic ballad, "When I Need You" (1977), which reached number one in both the UK and US. Written by Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager, it was Sayer's first UK #1 single (after three number two hits).[7] It was also the first of two UK chart-toppers in a row for producer Richard Perry.[7]

In 1979 the compilation album The Very Best of Leo Sayer became Sayer's first UK #1 LP and his seventh consecutive UK Top 20 album — although, despite his popularity in the U.S., it failed to chart there at all.[citation needed]

Sayer performing on Dutch television in 1974

Sayer also made cover versions of Bobby Vee's Sonny Curtis/Jerry Allison composition, "More Than I Can Say" (his fourth UK #2 hit and US #2), and Buddy Holly's "Raining in My Heart" (1979) and "Orchard Road" in 1983. In the US, three of his singles - "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (1977), "When I Need You" (1977) and "More Than I Can Say" (1980) - were certified gold.[citation needed]

Sayer provided songs for the soundtrack of the French-Belgian animated film, The Missing Link (Le Chainon manquant) in 1980. In 1981 he was the voice of Dan the forest ranger in The Raccoons on Ice, the second of four specials serving as a predecessor to the Canadian animated series The Raccoons. He also sang several songs for the special, all of which were included on the 1983 album Lake Freeze. In 1990, he contributed to the last studio collaboration between Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson, Woolfson's solo album Freudiana, performing "I Am A Mirror".[8]

Sayer performed at the Sanremo Music Festival in 1990, with "The Moth And The Flame" (English version of "Tu... sì" by Mango) and, in 1991, with "All Alone" (English version of "Dubbi No" by Mietta).

Financial difficulties

After a decade of solid success, Sayer's career suffered repeated setbacks due to a series of financial and legal problems. When Sayer and his first wife Janice divorced in 1985 subsequent financial disclosure revealed Adam Faith had badly mishandled his business affairs and that much of the millions of pounds he had earned over the previous decade had been lost through Faith's questionable investments and business expenses. Sayer sued Faith for mismanagement; and the case was eventually settled out of court in 1992 with Sayer receiving a reported payout of £650,000. In the early 1990s his career stalled again while he fought a protracted but ultimately successful legal battle against his former label, Chrysalis, to regain the publishing rights to his songs. In 1996 Sayer was forced to sue his new management after he discovered that his pension fund had allegedly been mismanaged to the tune of some £ 1 million. Despite spending more than £90,000 in legal fees the case never made it to court and Sayer was forced to abandon the suit for reasons of cost. He was able to assemble a world class band led by former Van Morrison guitarist Ronnie Johnson and tour his way back to financial security. The live album 'Live in London' released in 1999 captures the enormous energy of his performances at this stage of his career. [9]

Later career

On 12 February 2006 he made a welcome return to number one in the UK Singles Chart, with Meck's remix of "Thunder In My Heart". It was his first appearance in the UK Top 10 for almost 24 years, and his second UK chart-topper, almost three decades after his first.[citation needed] Leo Sayer: At His Very Best, a career-spanning compilation album, was released in the UK on 6 March 2006. It featured the Meck single, alongside "When I Need You" and "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing".[10]

In 2008, Sayer released a new album in Australia, Don't Wait Until Tomorrow. This album, produced by Garth Porter (from the Australian pop band Sherbet), and released by Universal Music Australia, featured selections from his catalog in an entirely new setting, re-arranged with strings and acoustic and jazz instrumentation.[citation needed]

In January 2009, Sayer became an Australian citizen, having lived in Sydney, New South Wales since 2005.[11]

Sayer has appeared in various TV shows including The Muppet Show (1978's Episode 3.02 on which he sang "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing", "The Show Must Go On", and "When I Need You"); The Wiggles 2008 DVD, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, which featured Sayer's hit of the same name; Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2007; and the Australian television comedy, Stupid, Stupid Man. In the episode "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" of the television series The Simpsons, a character mentions Sayer as being another singer he likes, after Elvis Presley.[12]

In January 2015, Sayer released his latest album, Restless Years,[13] and toured from Perth across many places in Australia to Singapore, with various support acts including Jason Ayres.[14]

Personal life

Sayer and his wife Janice wed in 1973 and divorced in 1985.[15] He then had a relationship with Italian-born beauty Donatella Piccinetti with whom he moved to live in Australia,[16] but they separated in 2007.[17]

Sayer became an Australian citizen at the Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony in Canberra in 2009.[18]

Discography

Albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[19]		 AUS
[20]		 NLD
[21]		 NO
[22]		 NZ
[23]		 SWE
[24]		 US
[25]
1974 Silverbird 2 14 - - - - 209
1974 Just a Boy 4 3 - - 35 - 16
1975 Another Year 8 3 - - - - 125
1976 Endless Flight 4 7 15 20 4 27 10
1977 Thunder in My Heart 8 8 - 14 11 19 37
1978 Leo Sayer 15 8 - 12 21 18 101
1979 The Very Best of Leo Sayer 1 1 - 14 1 5 -
1979 Here 44 65 - 17 50 - -
1980 Living in a Fantasy 15 12 29 9 - 15 36
1982 World Radio 30 14 - 4 35 - -
1983 Have You Ever Been in Love 15 20 - - - - -
1990 Cool Touch - - - - - - -
1993 All the Best 26 - - - - - -
1999 The Definitive Hits Collection 35 - - - - - -
1999 Live in London - - - - - - -
2004 Endless Journey — The Essential Leo Sayer 52 - - - - - -
2005 Voice in My Head - - - - - - -
2006 Leo Sayer: At His Very Best 30 - - - - - -
2008 Don't Wait Until Tomorrow * - - - - - - -
2015 Restless Years[30] - 39 - - - - -
    • - Australia release only

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[3]		 AUS
[20]		 CAN
[31]		 US
1973 "Why Is Everybody Going Home" - - - -
"The Show Must Go On" 2 10 2 -
1974 "One Man Band" 6 38 - 96
"Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" 4 7 - 9
1975 "Moonlighting" 2 13 - -
1976 "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" 2 2 1 1
1977 "When I Need You" 1 8 1 1
"How Much Love" 10 18 8 17
"Thunder in My Heart" 22 11 23 38
"Easy to Love" - - - 36
"There Isn't Anything" - - - -
1978 "Dancing the Night Away" - 15 - -
"I Can't Stop Loving You (Though I Try)" 6 37 - -
"Raining in My Heart" 21 93 - 47
1979 "When the Money Runs Out" - 90 - -
1980 "More Than I Can Say" 2 1 3 2
"Once in a While" - 87 - -
"Shake the Hand" - - - -
"Takin' the Brakes Off" - - - -
1981 "Bye Bye Now My Sweet Love" - 50 - -
"Living in a Fantasy" - - 14 23
1982 "Have You Ever Been in Love" 10 4 - -
"Heart (Stop Beating in Time)" 22 71 - -
1983 "Orchard Road" 16 17 - -
"Till You Come Back to Me" 51 81 - -
1984 "Sea of Heartbreak" - 81 - -
1986 "Unchained Melody" 54 77 - -
"Real Life" - - - -
1990 "Cool Touch" (Germany) - - - -
1992 "I Will Fight for You" (Germany) - - - -
1993 "When I Need You" (re-issue) 65 - - -
1998 "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing"
(Groove Generation featuring Leo Sayer)		 32 - - -
2006 "Thunder in My Heart Again"
(Meck featuring Leo Sayer)		 1 16 - -

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rice, Jo. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st edition), Guinness Superlatives Ltd, Middlesex, UK, p. 181; ISBN 0-85112-250-7
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Leo Sayer at the Internet Movie Database
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Leo Sayer chart positions in Australia:
    • All pre-1990 albums: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Restless Years: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ 26.00 26.01 26.02 26.03 26.04 26.05 26.06 26.07 26.08 26.09 26.10 26.11 26.12 26.13 26.14 26.15 "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on 27 September 2011. Note: User needs to enter "Leo Sayer" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Note: User must define 'Artist' search parameter as "Leo Sayer".
  28. ↑ "Certified Awards Search". Music Canada. Retrieved on 27 September 2011. Note: User needs to enter "Leo Sayer" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000). ISBN 1-896594-13-1
  32. ↑ Lister, David, Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion, The Independent (London), 28 May 1994

External links

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