Carl sonny leyland biography

Carl Sonny Leyland was born & raised on the South Coast of England, growing up close to the city of Southampton.
As a child he was drawn to the American music which he heard on LP records his father would play. It was here that he developed an appreciation for Traditional Jazz and Swing, the Rock & Roll of the 1950s & the Country Music of Jimmie Rodgers & Hank Williams.

At age 15 Leyland discovered boogie woogie when he heard a school friend working through a written arrangement JD's Boogie Woogie (by Marvin Wright). Captivated by the sound of the repeating 8 to the bar left hand pattern, Leyland was inspired to go to the piano & begin on a path that would become his life's purpose. Within 3 months he was performing in public & shortly after would become a member of a respected local group "The Bob Pearce Blues Band." Pearce, who posessed a great knowledge of the Blues genre became a mentor to the young CSL.

Initially influenced by boogie woogie gre Clear.