“I can think of no other songwriter who has mined this rich vein
with such lyrical ease and with no mean ear for melody. ”
Alan Reid, Battlefield Band
Bob Leslie – Scottish Traditional Singer & Songwriter
Preview of next album cover design!
Red Roses on a Cold Blue Morning will be the title of my next album. The track list has been assembled and recording is at the half-way stage. I’m aiming at an April/May 2024 release date. My extremely talented elder daughter, Madeleine, has produced the first version of the cover design which, with minor modifications, will front the eventual album. I thought you might appreciate an advance look!
The World Came to Springburn – to be featured in forthcoming documentary The last train !
From my 2017 album Land and Sea, my song about the locomotive industry in Glasgow, The World Came to Springburn (© Bob Leslie 2017), is to be the main soundtrack item in director/playwright Jack Dickson’s new documentary film The Last Train (June 2024).
Jack is a playwright and author, known for the ‘Jas Anderson’ Tartan Noir mystery series of books. Notable plays include ‘Princess for a Day’ and ‘Flying With Swans’. Writer for BBC Scotland’s ‘River City’ television show.
Click arrow below to listen!
Dateline 11th December 2023:
Christmas Single!
On Christmas Day (© Bob Leslie 2023) has just been released and is already getting radio play! It’s on sale via the Bandcamp site on a name-your-own-price basis (I thought I’d try something new !), and you can preview the track 3 times to help you decide!
The lyric deals with the family and friends aspect of Christmas – a side that’s always been close to my heart.
Inspiration arrived a week before this release while looking through my archives at an old lyric I wrote back in the 70s. The first two lines of that suddenly triggered me to rush to the keyboard where the Muse took over and shouted the rest in my ear.
After a day wrestling with a tune, things started to accelerate! Annie Neville (emailing her accordion part from Australia!) and Pauline Vallance (flutes and backing vocals) offered their time and talents, then I spent two days mixing and mastering.
Voilà! I had a Christmas song! I hope you LOVE it!
To give it a listen and/or buy, just click here!
Demo: Still Here © 2023 Bob Leslie
I’m working on my next album, and decided to inflict a demo track for it on you. The demo is 100% me, but I’ll be bringing in other musicians for the final version, so the tonal colours and arrangement may differ substantially. This is just a wee insight into my prep process. I hope you enjoy it! The song was inspired by a mural, by artist Molly Hankinson, on a gable end wall in Partick, Glasgow. You can check out the mural here.
Still Here (c) 2023 Bob Leslie -Click arrow below to play –
A Man Who Looks Like Me – digital single breaks big on community radio!
A Man Who Looks Like Me, released on 25th June 2021 is a noir fable inspired by the writings of Dashiell Hammett and Damon Runyon, a dark story of Prohibition Era life and the betrayal of its protagonist, small-time Irish-American gangster ‘Jack’, by his faithless lover. It’s been picked up and played by 70 community radio stations! Available now as a digital download on Bandcamp.
“Bob literally is The Seanachai, or traditional storyteller” – Colin Bailey, RnR Magazine
What a great reception!!!
In Praise of Crows was officially released on 19th March 2021, and has already had SIX GREAT REVIEWS and is being played on over 80 folk radio channels!
Reviewers have favourably compared Bob’s songs and performances on the album to those of Hamish Imlach, Matt McGinn, The Corries, Jake Thackray, and Sir Richard Stilgoe!
In Praise of Crows has also jumped into the top 100 on the Folk Alliance International charts, showing at No 52 on the Albums Chart for May – sharing that spot with, amongst others, Bob Dylan and Tim O’Brien!
You can buy the hard-copy CD HERE. It’s well worth it, the cover alone is a collector’s item and the songs are quite good – nope, too British – the songs are BRILLIANT!!!
Previews (3 free plays) and high-quality digital downloads are available from Bandcamp, & streaming is available from Spotify et al.
Here’s a shot of the cover by artist and fellow songwriter Randall Stephen Hall. You’ve done a great job, Stiofán!
“ Bob’s songs are imaginative, well researched, witty and thought provoking .”
Wendy Weatherby
Nominated Scots Trad Awards 2010 ‘Traditional Singer of the Year’
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On that little matter of pressing albums: even stroking them lightly doesn’t come cheap. Unfortunately Our Bob will insist on continually writing songs. If you dare explore the rest of this website, you might even find some!
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“Bob’s material is beautifully crafted and reflects a deep connection to his Scottish roots.”
Allison Lupton
Folk Music Ontario ‘Songs from the Heart’ Grand Prize Winner
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If you feel like helping out with that (even in a teensy-weensy way) (that means £2/month, or equivalent in your own currency = less than the price of a pack of peanuts/week), then please click on the icon below:
And, if you want to know what you might be getting into, just click below to hear Don’t Start the Revolution in the Morning* from Bob’s new album.
The song finally explains the mystery of why the musicians are onstage at the end of the march/demo, but are rarely seen actually marching – Bob knows you’ve always wondered!
*© 2021 Bob Leslie
Bob Leslie 