picture of Leon Michels
Leon Michels
Leon's (* 1982 in New York, NY) is a music producer, record executive, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His professional career began as a teenager in the late 1990s. He got his start playing in the high school funk band The Mighty Imperials. At age sixteen, Leon joined Desco's house band The Soul Providers and toured internationally as part of Sharon Jones' band.
 
When Desco folded in 1999, The Mighty Imperials became the house band for Phillip Lehman's Soul Fire Records. When Lehman decided to leave the music industry in 2003, he helped Leon found retro-soul label Truth & Soul Records. This label was active from 2004 until 2016 as both a label and production team.
 
During the time of founding Truth & Soul, Leon left Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, with whom he had toured with for seven years and released two studio albums, and began leading his own project, El Michels Affair. El Michels Affair released its debut album in 2005. In 2007, Leon helped found the Thomas Brenneck-led Menahan Street Band.
 
In 2009, Leon produced the first Lee Field & The Expressions' album My World. The album got the attention of The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, who recruited Leon to tour with the band. He worked with Auerbach as a songwriter and session musician for a few years before co-founding The Arcs.
 
Following the closure of Truth & Soul in 2016, Leon co-founded Big Crown Records. Since then, he has produced a majority of the albums from the labels roster including Lee Fields, Lady Wray, Paul & The Tall Trees, and Liam Bailey. Leon has also produced records for The Carters, Hanni El Khatib, Chicano Batman, Marco Benevento, and Don Toliver. He maintains two recording studios under the name The Diamond Mine, one in Rhinebeck, NY and one in Long Island City, NY with Thomas Brenneck, Nick Movshon, and Homer Steinweiss. from Wikipedia
contact:
homepage:
on tour Click on the logo to see Leon's tour dates.

 

Discography [8]
Make The Road By Walking
Dunham DUN-1000
recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA
Leon Michels, tenor sax, flute, organ, piano, congas
Aaron Johnson, trombone
Dave Guy, trumpet
Cochemea Gastelum, flute
Thomas Brenneck, guitar, organ, piano, vibes, bass, drums
Michael Deller, piano, organ
Toby Pazner, vibes
Bosco Mann, bass
Nick Movshon, bass, drums
Homer Steinweiss, drums
Enter The 37th Chamber
Fat Beats FB-5127-2
recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA
Leon Michels, sax, piano, organ
Aaron Johnson, trombone
Michael Leonhart, trumpet
Thomas Brenneck, guitar
Toby Pazner, piano, organ
Rachel Garb, violin
Garo Yellin, cello
Nick Movshon, bass
Homer Steinweiss, drums
No Time For Dreaming
Dunham DUN-1001
recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA
Charles Bradley, vocals
Leon Michels, tenor sax, organ, piano
Dave Guy, trumpet
Thomas Brenneck, guitar, organ, piano, bass, drums, vibes
Victor Axelrod, organ, glockenspiel
Bosco Mann, organ, bass, congas
Mike Deller, piano
Toby Pazner, vibes
Daniel Foder, bass
Nick Movshon, bass
Homer Steinweiss, drums
Fernando Velez, congas
The Crossing
Dunham DUN-1003
recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA
Leon Michels, tenor sax, organ
Jared Tankel, baritone sax
Dave Guy, trumpet
Cochemea Gastelum, flute
Thomas Brenneck, guitar, piano, synthesizer, autoharp, bass
Victor Axelrod, organ
Mike Deller, piano
The Bushwick Philharmonic
Nick Movshon, bass, drums
Homer Steinweiss, drums
Bobby Chupete, congas
Changes
Dunham DUN-1005
recorded in Brooklyn, NY/USA
Charles Bradley, vocals
David Guy, trumpet
Ray Mason, trombone
Joe Harrison, flute, vibes
Thomas Brenneck, guitar, bass, organ, percussion
Will Schalda, organ, piano
Michael Deller, organ
Raynier Jacildo, organ
Victor Axelrod, piano, vibes
Leon Michels, organ, sax
Nick Movshon, bass
Homer Steinweiss, drums
The Gospel Queens, vocals
Saun & Starr, vocals
Black Velvet
Dunham DUN-1007

Charles Bradley, vocals, organ
Leon Michels, tenor sax, organ, piano
Freddy DeBoe, baritone sax
Aaron Johnson, trombone
Billy Aukstik, trumpet
Dave Guy, trumpet
Thomas Brenneck, guitar, organ, piano, vibes, bass, drums, percussion
Mike Deller, piano, organ
Victor Axelrod, piano
Nick Movshon, bass
Homer Steinweiss, drums
Mickey Post, drums
Nick Movshon, drums, percussion
Fernando, congas
Dave Guy, tambourine
The Angels In Heaven Done Signed My Name
Easy Eye Sound EES-007
recorded in Nashville, TN/USA
Leo Welch, guitar, vocals
Dan Auerbach, guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion
Russ Pahl, guitar
Leon Michels, organ, piano, synthesizer
Ray Jacildo, organ, piano, synthesizer, harpsichord, percussion
Dave Roe, bass
Richard Swift, drums, percussion
The Exciting Sounds Of Menahan Street Band
Dunham DUN-1008
recorded in Long Island City, NY and Hollywood, CA/USA
Spotify Bandcamp
Leon Michels, tenor sax, organ, percussion
Ray Mason, trombone
Dave Guy, trumpet, guitar, tambourine
Thomas Brenneck, guitar, organ, piano, synthesizer, bass, percussion
Mike Deller, Farfisa organ
Daniel Foder, bass
Bosco Mann, bass
Nick Movshon, bass, drums
Brian Profilio, drums
Homer Steinweiss, drums
Elizabeth Pupo-Walker, congas

 
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