Simple Image singer Barry Leef reflects on his 45-year music career.
The Simple Image 1968. left to right Harry Leki lead guitar and vocals, Ron ‘Cass’ Gasgoine on bass and vocals, Gordon Wylie on drums and Barry Leef on rhythm guitar and vocals. Photo: Barry Leef collection
Ex pat Kiwi Barry Leef fronting his nine piece Doobies, Eagles & West Coast Rock show band in Sydney. Photo: courtesy Barry Leef.
This Blenheim lad began his professional music career with Simple Image.
After several hits including 'Spinning, Spinning, Spinning' Leef tired of sickly sweet pop songs and swapped places with the lead vocalist of Christchurch unit Retaliation. He moved with them to Australia. Being asked to join Frank Zappa's band propelled Barry Leef into the limelight in Australia and he was soon in demand for residencies and an endless string of studio sessions for other people's records and jingles.
Since then he's fronted top local bands Crossfire and Supermarket and continues to play the traps after 40-years fronting three different bands. Keith Newman talks to Barry Leef for Musical Chairs.
Barry Leef has fronted some of Australia’s hardest working club bands for many decades and is the name behind the voice of hundreds of Australian radio and TV commercials.
The Blenheim boy began his professional music career with three mates from Todd Motors in Petone in the mid‑60s who went on to form chart topping unit Simple Image.
Leef on rhythm guitar along with Gordon Wylie on drums, Harry Leki on lead guitar and Ron ‘Cas’ Gasgoine on bass won promoter Tom McDonald over with their near perfect harmonies, and they were soon on the New Zealand circuit and then in the recording studio.
After several hits including Spinning, Spinning, Spinning, Leef tired of the sickly sweet pop songs the recording company wanted them to release, as he became more enamoured with Motown and rhythm n’ blues. He arranged for Simple Image to swap lead vocalists with a Christchurch unit Retaliation and went with them to Melbourne and then on to Sydney
Then when his old band had crossed the Tasman and was playing a lucrative gig at Whiskey, entertaining US soldier on leave from the Vietnam war, they asked him to rejoin them for a residency that lasted nearly two years.
He went on to join the remnants of top Australian band Bakery, including former Avengers drummer Hank Davis, and was spotted by Frank Zappa who asked him to join his band. After three weeks touring however he found his own recording contract prohibited him from taking an opportunity of a life time to join Zappa in the US.
Being asked to join Zappa however propelled Barry Leef into the limelight in Australia and soon he had his own resident band at the Sydney Musicians Club and was in demand for and endless string of studio sessions for other people’s records and jingles.
Since then he’s fronted top local bands Crossfire and Supermarket and continues to play the traps after 40‑years fronting three different bands.
