Songwriter, multi instrumentalist and ukulele virtuoso, A.J. Leonard has been writing songs for 50 years. Sometimes he can write one in a single sitting, others are still not finished after decades. He sees songwriting as an alchemy which he can't quite explain but he recognises that there are mysterious forces fanning a fire within him to write songs. He does usually start with the lyrics though and the music follows.
AJ and I had a great chat and he took me right back to the start when, as kids in the 60s, he and his brother grabbed tennis rackets from the cupboard and mimed to their parents records. He wrote his first song on the ukulele in the 70s and has been a prolific songwriter ever since. We discussed all kinds of songwriting influences from 1920s ukulele music to The Beatles to Radiohead. Despite the mysterious songwriting forces which can't be completely described, AJ offered a range of very valuable tips and techniques to assist new and established songwriters to do what they do.
AJ described how he wrote a series of 12 instrumental pieces in 12 keys for the 12 months of the year. From that series AJ played "July" live in the studio, a beguiling piece written in the rainforests of Hawaii, but which left me imagining leaves blowing down a windy winter street. It's great how songs mean different things to different people! AJ also played a new and as yet unpublished song, "Growing Old Together" which he wrote collaboratively with an online lyricist friend in the US.
To hear and find out more about AJ Leonard's music: