Leigh Ashton
| Leigh Ashton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stanford Howard Leigh Ashton |
| Born | 11 April 1956 |
| Genres | Pop, Pop rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, Piano |
| Years active | 1975 – present |
| Labels | Nitty Gritty Records[Plum]CBS |
| Notable instruments | |
| Piano | |
Leigh Ashton (born 11 April 1956 in Manchester, England) is a South African singer, songwriter, pianist, performer and recording artist from Johannesburg, South Africa. Ashton was born in Manchester, England on 11 April 1956 and moved to South Africa at the age of 3.
Career
Ashton was signed to David Gresham Productions as a singer songwriter at 19. His first single "Love Me" was released in November 1975. Ashton worked with some of the best musicians in the country at the time including Trevor Rabin.[1] The following year he performed at the very successful "Colosseum Mighty Music Machine" alongside local household names such as Bobby Angel, Bruce Millar, Richard Loring and Sonya Herholdt [2] but he still had yet to achieve his own recognition. In 1977 "Tanya", one of his own songs, reached no 12 on the official SA charts based on sales – competing with Abba and Leo Sayer.[3] "Tanya" was released on Pye Records later that year in England and Europe.[4] A series of newspaper articles, TV videos, pin up photos and radio interviews followed and he released his third single "Day after Day" another self penned song.[5]
Ashton was later offered a recording contract with GRC part of Gallo on the worldwide CBS label and after liaising and negotiating with both companies changed to GRC to work with Hilton Rosenthal who was producing Juluka at the time. His 4th and 5th singles, "That Girl" and "Christmas Song", were well received by fans and the record industry, but due to an unfortunate misunderstanding between the record companies, arguments ensued and both companies left the singles with no marketing or moral support.[6] Ashton has over 40 songs that he wrote during that time, including The Iceman, Foxtrot, Mother, When You Need A Friend and his classic The Park Hobo.
Singles
"Love Me" - 1975 "Tanya" - 1977 (Reached no 12 on the South African Charts) "Day After Day" - 1977 "That Girl" - 1978 "Christmas Song" - 1978
References
- ↑ [The Sunday Express, 28 August 1977, Better Living Supplement, pg 11]
- ↑ [The Star, Tonight, Friday 18 June 1976, pg 13]
- ↑ [The Official South African Hit Parade, 3, 10, 17 and 24June 1977]
- ↑ [The Star Tonight, Fri 17 June 1977, Pg 3]
- ↑ [The Star Tonight, Tuesday 19 April 1977, Pg 2]
- ↑ [Charmaine Magazine, May 1978, Pg 7]