Leee John of Imagination: Pioneering Black British music star plays live at Woodbridge lockdown festival

Leee John, the iconic singer and founder of Imagination, played a Lockdown Live session in The Riverside, Woodbridge, on Thursday 23rd July, followed by a Q&A on Black British Music and saving grass roots music venues across the UK.

Replacing this July’s planned live events cancelled by the pandemic, Woodbridge Festival of Art and Music exclusively invited Leee John, the 1980s British soul-jazz and electro funk pioneer, to headline a special live lockdown show from Woodbridge.

The show will feature a live set performance showcase, after which Leee and Woodbridge Festival’s DJ Ben Osborne will discuss the under-recognised history of Black British music. The Q&A session will also highlight the need to protect our grass roots music venues - the launch pads of the UK’s next generation of talent.

The Arts Council England supported Q&A is being recorded without an audience and under socially distanced conditions at the Riverside Cinema in Woodbridge, the town’s much loved cinema, theatre, restaurant and music venue - which after over 100 years of operation is now under threat. The special lockdown show and Q&A will be helping to raise money for the Riverside as well as the national Save Our Venues campaign, coordinated by UK music industry organisations such as Music Venues Trust and Musicians Union.

The Q&A is also part of Noise of Art’s new and on-going Black Montmartre project, which this month features new music from Red Snapper and Parisian soul jazz singer Jayhem Racon.

One of the early Black British musicians to achieve international recognition, Leee John’s stunning career spans three decades and tops over 30 million album sales. Imagination released many multiple global hit singles, such as Body Talk, Just An illusion, Flashback, Music and Lights and Changes - as well as platinum, gold and silver albums. Next year celebrates the band’s 40th Anniversary with exciting all-new projects in the pipeline.

A founding father of the Brit Soul/Jazz/Funk tradition that paved the way for such international successes as Soul II Soul, his songs are essential 1980s crossover music classics. Instantly recognisable today, they’re destined to continue influencing music into the future.

Leee’s story has touched many contemporary acts in many genres. Samples, remixes and adaptations have appeared in the music of artists such as The Pharcyde, Dimitri from Paris, Destiny’s Child/ Beyoncé, Wycliff Jean, Maria Carey, Boards of Canada, Tiger & Woods, 88 Keys featuring Kanye West… and the list goes on.

Few careers span such a far-reaching range. And even fewer can give such an in-depth personal account of the under-represented role Black Music has played in our culture.

Leee is currently in the studio completing his long awaited new film/TV project ‘Flashback’ - a history of British black music featuring Beverley Knight, Eddy Grant, Billy Ocean, Maxie Jazz, Ali Campbell of UB40, and Mike Lindup of Level 42, Trevor Nelson, Omar, Geno Washington, Maxie Priest, Sonique, Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), Courtney Pine, Ruby Turner and many more.

Continuing to tour and perform live across the world LEEE has appeared with artists such as The Jacksons, Earth Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang, Nile Rogers/ Chic, Incognito, Kid Creole and the Coconuts and more.

More recently, LEEE has been honoured with a Lifetime achievement award in the UK and as well as Humanitarian award in France for his ongoing charity work for SOS children, a world orphan charity.

The events are supported with funding from the Arts Council England and broadcast on www.noiseofart.org and www.woodbridgefestival.com at the end of July.