Joe Leeway
Encyclopedia
Joseph Martin Leeway is the former multi-instrumentalist, and stylings guru
, for the 1980s band, the Thompson Twins
. Leeway joined the Thompson Twins in 1980 after being one of their roadies
.
mother and Nigeria
n father, but was fostered to an English family in Dartford
, Kent
, from the age of two. At college he took English and Drama, then he began teaching English, which was how he met Tom Bailey. He joined a theatre group in Cardiff after failing to establish his own company. He spent a year with the Young Vic theatre before joining the Thompson Twins as a roadie at Tom Bailey's invitation.
Playing bongos
and conga
s, he appeared on the Thompson Twins debut album, A Product of ... (Participation)
. By the time the band recorded their second album Set
in 1982, Leeway had begun contributing to the songwriting process, and he wrote a pair of songs for the album completely on his own and sang lead on three tracks.
At that time in 1982, the Thompson Twins underwent a radical change in line-up. Previously an ever-changing lineup of musicians that featured seven members at the time of Set, band leader Tom Bailey reduced the band to a trio by firing everybody except Alannah Currie
and Leeway. The reason for this seems to have been more for practicality than any ill will, since the band's direction had been uncertain and unfocused. When a track written by Bailey for Set, "In the Name of Love", became a major hit
in dance clubs, they had found their new direction and did not need all of the members anymore. Naturally, the former members who were axed remained somewhat bitter about the decision, particularly since the band went on to international stardom and fortune.
Leeway's main role in the new trio was to assist in writing the songs, contribute background vocals
and design the band's stage shows. Leeway's background in theatre
made him an obvious and well-suited choice for the latter, and the live shows of the band were always met with success and critical acclaim. However, Leeway later admitted in retrospect that both he and Alannah Currie had very little to do with the actual musical aspect of the band, and that they both were terrified that one day it would be revealed that their musical abilities had been exaggerated for the benefit of the group.
Nevertheless, the Thompson Twins enjoyed at least three solid years of worldwide commercial
success, beginning with the 1983 album Quick Step and Side Kick
(released in the United States as simply Side Kicks). After establishing themselves in the United Kingdom
with that album, the band broke worldwide with the 1984 follow-up album, Into the Gap
, which garnered critical acclaim and lucrative international sales.
The band began to falter in 1985, when the overextended Tom Bailey suffered a physical breakdown due to exhaustion while working on the next album, which would become Here's To Future Days
.
The Thompson Twins were featured performers at Live Aid
, where they were joined onstage by Madonna
during their set. They also appeared in Madonna's set as well, and this should have cemented their place in pop music profitability. Instead, the completion of Here's to Future Days proved to be somewhat of a disappointment, despite the fact that the album scored several hit single
s. The band later suggested that their disappointment came mostly from a more rock-oriented direction that seemed foisted on the band by the album's co-producer
, Nile Rodgers
, and their record label
. Their contract with Arista Records
was up for renewal, and after the extensive world tour following the release of the album, Leeway chose to leave the band for a number of personal reasons, mostly due to difficulties with The Twins management. However, the split from the rest of the trio was amicable.
After leaving the band, Leeway dabbled in solo work. He recorded a demo tape of original material, but ultimately an album never materalized and has forever remained a mystery to fans of Leeway and the Thompson Twins.
He appeared in the 1989 film, Slaves of New York
as Johnny Jalouse. Leeway's part in the film was originally a prominent supporting character, but this was changed when most of his scenes were cut. The actress that Leeway had done most of his scenes with was fired from the film, so Leeway's scenes went right along with her. However, Leeway can still be seen in the film singing one of his original songs with an all-female band.
The experience with Slaves of New York seemed to stall Leeway's career as an actor
permanently, but he continued to work in the movie
s in the field of sound design
, as well as for commercials for Nike
and Pepsi
.
, Leeway resided in Los Angeles
, California
, and works in the field of hypnotherapy
. He is on the staff at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI) in Tarzana, California, and is also a certified trainer in neuro-linguistic programming
.
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, for the 1980s band, the Thompson Twins
Thompson Twins
The Thompson Twins were a British pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid 1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the globe. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives...
. Leeway joined the Thompson Twins in 1980 after being one of their roadies
Road crew
The road crew are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians...
.
Career
He was born to an IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
mother and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n father, but was fostered to an English family in Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, from the age of two. At college he took English and Drama, then he began teaching English, which was how he met Tom Bailey. He joined a theatre group in Cardiff after failing to establish his own company. He spent a year with the Young Vic theatre before joining the Thompson Twins as a roadie at Tom Bailey's invitation.
Playing bongos
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
and conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s, he appeared on the Thompson Twins debut album, A Product of ... (Participation)
A Product of ... (Participation)
A Product of … is the first album by the English pop group Thompson Twins. It was released in June 1981 on the T Records imprint, a label created by the band and distributed through the Fame/EMI label...
. By the time the band recorded their second album Set
Set (Thompson Twins album)
Set is the second album by the English pop group Thompson Twins. Released in February 1982, it was the second album they recorded for their own T Records imprint, which was released by Arista Records/Hansa....
in 1982, Leeway had begun contributing to the songwriting process, and he wrote a pair of songs for the album completely on his own and sang lead on three tracks.
At that time in 1982, the Thompson Twins underwent a radical change in line-up. Previously an ever-changing lineup of musicians that featured seven members at the time of Set, band leader Tom Bailey reduced the band to a trio by firing everybody except Alannah Currie
Alannah Currie
Alannah Currie is a musician and artist, best known as a former member of the UK pop group, Thompson Twins.-Career:...
and Leeway. The reason for this seems to have been more for practicality than any ill will, since the band's direction had been uncertain and unfocused. When a track written by Bailey for Set, "In the Name of Love", became a major hit
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
in dance clubs, they had found their new direction and did not need all of the members anymore. Naturally, the former members who were axed remained somewhat bitter about the decision, particularly since the band went on to international stardom and fortune.
Leeway's main role in the new trio was to assist in writing the songs, contribute background vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and design the band's stage shows. Leeway's background in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
made him an obvious and well-suited choice for the latter, and the live shows of the band were always met with success and critical acclaim. However, Leeway later admitted in retrospect that both he and Alannah Currie had very little to do with the actual musical aspect of the band, and that they both were terrified that one day it would be revealed that their musical abilities had been exaggerated for the benefit of the group.
Nevertheless, the Thompson Twins enjoyed at least three solid years of worldwide commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
success, beginning with the 1983 album Quick Step and Side Kick
Quick Step and Side Kick
Quick Step and Side Kick is the third album by the British synthpop group Thompson Twins. It was released in February 1983, and was their first album to be released as a trio...
(released in the United States as simply Side Kicks). After establishing themselves in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with that album, the band broke worldwide with the 1984 follow-up album, Into the Gap
Into the Gap
Into the Gap is the fourth album by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It was released in February 1984 and reached no.1 on the UK Albums Chart, and no.10 on the U.S...
, which garnered critical acclaim and lucrative international sales.
The band began to falter in 1985, when the overextended Tom Bailey suffered a physical breakdown due to exhaustion while working on the next album, which would become Here's To Future Days
Here's to Future Days
Here's to Future Days is the fifth album by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It was released in September 1985 and it reached no.5 in the UK, and no.20 in the US....
.
The Thompson Twins were featured performers at Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
, where they were joined onstage by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
during their set. They also appeared in Madonna's set as well, and this should have cemented their place in pop music profitability. Instead, the completion of Here's to Future Days proved to be somewhat of a disappointment, despite the fact that the album scored several hit single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s. The band later suggested that their disappointment came mostly from a more rock-oriented direction that seemed foisted on the band by the album's co-producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
, and their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Their contract with Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
was up for renewal, and after the extensive world tour following the release of the album, Leeway chose to leave the band for a number of personal reasons, mostly due to difficulties with The Twins management. However, the split from the rest of the trio was amicable.
After leaving the band, Leeway dabbled in solo work. He recorded a demo tape of original material, but ultimately an album never materalized and has forever remained a mystery to fans of Leeway and the Thompson Twins.
He appeared in the 1989 film, Slaves of New York
Slaves of New York
Slaves of New York is a 1989 comedy-drama Merchant Ivory Productions film. It was directed byJames Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, and starred Bernadette Peters, Adam Coleman Howard, Chris Sarandon, Mary Beth Hurt, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Potter, and Steve Buscemi.Based on the stories Slaves...
as Johnny Jalouse. Leeway's part in the film was originally a prominent supporting character, but this was changed when most of his scenes were cut. The actress that Leeway had done most of his scenes with was fired from the film, so Leeway's scenes went right along with her. However, Leeway can still be seen in the film singing one of his original songs with an all-female band.
The experience with Slaves of New York seemed to stall Leeway's career as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
permanently, but he continued to work in the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s in the field of sound design
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
, as well as for commercials for Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
.
, Leeway resided in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and works in the field of hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a therapy that is undertaken with a subject in hypnosis.The word "hypnosis" is an abbreviation of James Braid's term "neuro-hypnotism", meaning "sleep of the nervous system"....
. He is on the staff at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI) in Tarzana, California, and is also a certified trainer in neuro-linguistic programming
Neuro-linguistic programming
Neuro-linguistic programming is an approach to psychotherapy, self-help and organizational change. Founders Richard Bandler and John Grinder say that NLP is a model of interpersonal communication and a system of alternative therapy which seeks to educate people in self-awareness and effective...
.