General News

Dear Friends.

This month’s news will be dedicated to the memory of (more to the point MY memory) of the late great Bill Leader who passed away last month.

For those of you who have no knowledge of this extraordinary man, let me fill you in with a few facts about the person I knew.

Bill was a record producer of the old school, in as much as never relied too much on the location for recording but more on his incredible talent for mike placement and an innate ability as a producer to bring out the best in the person or persons he was recording.

Many of his finest recordings were 'captured' in the field. The classic debut album by Bert Jansch was recorded in Bill's Campen Town flat and more in that location including those incredible early albums by John Renbourn. The 'Bert and John' album I believe was recorded on location in their London flat.

Over the next few paragraphs I shall try to recapture my personal memories of Bill stretching back to early 1966 when my music was brought to Bill's attention via a rather crude vinyl recording I sent to the label boss of Transatlantic Records, Nathan Joseph, a rather charismatic little man who passed it on to Bill for his opinion.

There must have been something in that first demo that captured Bill's attention because shortly afterwards I received a letter, which I still have saying that they would like to sign me to their label and Bill would take me under his wing and become my mentor. It didn't say those exact words or intentions but that's what he did and that's what happened.

One of his major pieces of advice (and it remains with me to this very day) was to listen to all kinds of music, not just guitar music. He told me to go to my local lending library (remember them?) and borrow an album of harpsichord music by Domenico Scarlatti. This I did and was fascinated by it. I didn't understand it, but it made an impression that’s for sure! That’s probably why much of my music is inspired by that period in music and that's why at times my guitar sounds a bit like harpsichord.

Anyway, I digress...

I signed the contract in November 1966 and I knew my life would never be the same again. Bill’s London flat was an extraordinary place. It was one of those amazing old Victorian "mansions" that still exist and would cost a fortune to purchase these days.

Bill lived on the second floor, his Mum lived on the ground floor, and I have no idea who lived upstairs, probably no one because that's obviously where the bathroom and bedrooms were located, once again the memory is vague.

If I remember correctly the kitchen was at the top of the stairs and the lounge was just off it. And what a lounge it was! There were egg boxes on the wall that obviously acted as some kind of acoustic baffle. Along one wall was Bill's huge record collection with music ranging from opera to world music (that term wasn't used to that degree then) and there were shelves full of books. To say that Bill was a cultured man would be an understatement!

I would make many visits to that hallowed flat where I would play and sing him my latest pieces. I don't think he recorded any of the stuff there because he said that my music needed the studio treatment.

At the time I was still living at home with my parents and have fond memories of Bill visiting our then Blackheath flat and me meeting him for the first time, and my dad being very humbled by his presence and kept calling him "sir".

Shortly after that we moved (yet again) to another place because Mum was a bit of a gypsy and needed to keep moving. We lived in some lovely council dwellings, the last but one was Crooms Hill in West Greenwich where I was later to learn that opposite us lived the Poet Laureate Cecil Day Lewis and his son Daniel Day Lewis.

Up the road on the opposite side lived the famous folk song collector Bert Lloyd and just a few doors away lived the actor, Michael Hawden. As if that wasn't enough the actress Glenda Jackson lived not far from there, who my Mum used to chat with in the local green grocers. The house was also a few yards from The Greenwich Theatre and our garden backed onto Greenwich Park! That whole area is steeped in culture and naval history.

Mum then decided to move to a council maisonette in Lee and that's where Bill on occasion would drive all the way down from his flat to collect me in his lovely old, converted ambulance and take me back to his place where we would spend more time on my stuff. He also arranged a photo session there for my very first promotional business cards with contact details under the title of THE UNUSUAL GORDON GILTRAP with me looking like a young Al Pacino!

Bill did SO much for me in those early days, it was through him that I got my residency at the legendary Les Cousins in Greek Street. It was a big deal then and helped to open many doors for me.

One lasting memory I have of that North Villas flat was of me sitting in his kitchen intensely working on a new piece desperately trying to sound like Bert Jansch but ending sounding like a cross between Bert and John and Pete Townshend.

Bill had mentioned that a couple of lads were traveling down from Glasgow and stopping over. Their names were Billy and Tam. Anyway, there I was deep into trying to play this new piece when the door went and Bill went down to greet them. All I heard was guffaws of laughter and loud voices. Next thing I knew was this very tall, bearded figure standing over me telling me in a very enthusiastic manor how much he loved my playing...It was Billy Connolly along with his pal Tam Harvey known as The Humblebums. Later on, one Gerry Rafferty joined them. The rest as they say is history!

Before that first Transatlantic album came out, I had to get known and so I spent many months trudging round folk clubs doing floor spots in the hope of getting a booking. This system worked for everybody back then and it was a fantastic experience.

That first album was simply entitled Gordon Giltrap, with very interesting and insightful sleeve notes written by Bill. The second was Portrait. That album featured the very first recording of LUCIFER'S CAGE where the genius of Bill came into play.

Bill turned what was a straightforward acoustic piece into something that could have been written by The Who or Pink Floyd. Bill used every studio sound in the armoury on that track with overdrive, distortion, compression you name it. It certainly shocked me when he played it back!

Ten years later it appeared on my Visionary album. It is still a firm favourite and is special to me for many reasons some of them personal, but nothing beats that very first recording way back then.

Over the years whenever I played in the Manchester area Bill would turn up to see me. I never knew he was coming he just appeared and what a thrill it was to see him and what an honour to have him in the audience.

I once told him that it was he who discovered me. His reply was "no, you discovered yourself" such was the modesty of this truly great man.

I'm finding as I'm writing these memories that I'm becoming quite emotional. Bill meant the world to me, and it was so special to share in his 80th birthday celebration quite a few years back now.

I know that once these memories are committed to paper more memories will emerge, but I just wanted to share with you my memories of this dear friend who did so much for me and was very patient with me way back then when I kept asking him if he thought I would "make it" whatever that means!

I was one of many whose lives were touched by Mr Leader and they all have their own stories to tell, many of which I'm sure are similar to mine.

Some people come into this world and make a difference. Bill came into mine and changed it in ways I could never have imagined at the time.

For a brief while I experienced rock stardom, but those early days are very precious to me as was Bill's friendship.

I like to kid myself that out of all the people Bill took under his wing I was the special one! He felt like a father figure to me, and I was one of his favoured sons. Truth be told there were many like me that Bill helped along the way. The great Nick Jones being one of them and many more.

Bill, I shall never forget you as long as I live.

May you rest in peace dear friend.