Leo Sayer

Leo Sayer is an English pop singer who released 10 studio albums between 1973 and 1983.

Leo was born Gerard Hugh Sayer on May 21, 1948, to an English father and an Irish mother in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. He studied commercial art and graphic design at West Sussex College of Art and Design in Worthing. While attending school, he worked as a typographic designer and fronted the Terraplane Blues Band and Phydeaux. He was nicknamed “Leo” in reference to the lion’s mane due to his curly hair.

In 1971, Sayer formed the pop band Patches, which released the single “Living In America” (b/w “The Hour Is Love”) on Warner Bros. in 1972. They were managed by David Courtney, the one-time drummer of ’50s pop idol Adam Faith. Courtney wrote the a-side and co-wrote the flipside with Sayer. The two cut a demo tape of originals and handed it to Faith, who remortgaged his home to launch Sayer onto the public.

In April 1973, Sayer got his first break when Who frontman Roger Daltery scored a UK #5 hit with the Courtney/Sayer-penned “Giving It All Away.” It appeared on the singer’s debut solo album, Daltery, along with eight other compositions by the pair. That same year, Sayer signed to Chrysalis (Warner in the US) and recorded his first album.

Discography:

• Silverbird (1973)
• Just a Boy (1974)
• Another Year (1975)
• Endless Flight (1976)
• Thunder in My Heart (1977)
• Leo Sayer (1978)
• Here (1979)
• Living in a Fantasy (1980)
• The Missing Link (OST, 1980)
• World Radio (1982)
• Have You Ever Been in Love (1983)
• Cool Touch (1990)

Sources:

• Discogs: Leo Sayer
• ClassicBands.com: Leo Sayer