Leigh Harrison's career as a vocalist started by chance, when she was part of a small circle of women who gathered to sing in San Francisco, in an attic furnished only with a few pillows to sit on, and wooden crates and cable spools for tables. Leigh was still very young, and the other women were all more experienced singers. One of the other women was Janis Joplin -- it was Janis' house and attic in Haight-Ashbury in which the women met.

And it was from these hours singing together with Janis and other blues women in SF in 1968 that Leigh learned the folk-blues that became an essential part of her repertoire from those early years on. Leigh has said of those times that "I was the youngest of the girls and women that gathered in Janis' attic, but she always treated me with courtesy and kindness, and it was directly from Janis that I learned songs such as 'I Know You, Rider.' 'Hesitation Blues' and 'House of the Risin' Sun.' Leigh also met Malvina Reynolds, Phil Lesh, and Jimi Hendrix during her time in San Francisco.

Leigh began writing songs early in life, and counts among her mentors the songwriter Paula Hoffman, who wrote "This I Like," which was performed by Dinah Shore. Because one of Leigh's aunts was good friends with Paula, Leigh met Paula at her Florida home, and Paula gave her an autographed copy of the sheet music for the song. This event was an early inspiration for Leigh to try her hand at song-writing.

She had already begun composing melodies for other writers' poems at the age of five. Leigh began writing poems and songs in her childhood, but honed her songwriting skills over the years; by the time she was in her twenties, she'd already written over 100 songs. At present, she has written hundreds of songs.

Photo © Fran Perfetto, 1990

As a singer-songwriter at Gerde's Folk City's open mic nights, back in the 1970's, Leigh was part of the wave of performers introduced by the MC, Richard Lewis, who was honing his material during his early days as a stand-up comedian. Interestingly, when other performers at Gerde's asked Leigh (who then spelled her name "Li") if she was trying to "get a record deal," she often replied that she wanted to put out her own records, having been influenced in her childhood by seeing independently-produced 33 1/3 records by a group called "Jamie and the J's," a vocal group that also recorded radio commercials.

Leigh has said "It was always my intention to produce my own record, with my own cover art and my own choice of material. I never wanted to be an artist manipulated by a record company. I always expected to -- someday -- put together my own records, with complete control over the product." As a result, Leigh never put out a record until she was ready, artistically and financially, to choose her own producer, pick her own material, and design her own cover art.

But even though it took her years before she was able to do so, her intention to do it all on her own places her as one of the earliest rock recording artists to choose an independent or "indie" career path. In the intervening years, Leigh was known variously as "Li Harrison," Iris Merritt," or "Lola LaPlume" in different bands, and she appeared as "Mona Moore" for years on "The Coca Crystal Show" on MNN in NYC, where she was one of the Technical Directors of the show, and also known for performing her original lyrics that parodied the political and social issues of the day.

Leigh is currently selecting material for her third CD. The 12-song CD will include songs from a wide range of Leigh's collected work, produced by Ira Sakolsky at his Riverway Studio in CT. Some of the songs had previously been recorded at Stardust Studios. Producer Marino Frost has worked with numerous artists, including former members of "Curtis Knight and the Squires" (who played with Jimi Hendrix in the late 1950's to early 1960's).

In an unusual coincidence, Leigh also knew Jimi Hendrix back when she lived in SF, but it was in the late 60's -- when Jimi worked with "The Experience" -- and she also has played with Moogy Klingman (formerly in Utopia with Todd Rundgren) who also sat in with Jimi in NYC in a group called "The Blue Flames." Clearly, the blues has informed much of the music that Leigh writes and performs, as well as having been the glue that cemented many a musical friendship.

Leigh is recording original songs for her next singer-songwriter CD as well as her original guitar instrumentals, several children's songs, and a collection of song parodies. She'll have able assistance from guitarist/bassist Bob Perfetto and producer/drummer Ira Sakolsky.

Leigh found her first CD's producer when she began working with Nick Holmes of Pantry Music. His vision for what became "Eclectic Chanteuse" so closely matched Leigh's in terms of instrumentation, arrangements, and production, that she also worked with him on her second CD, "Oh, Wow!" Leigh has always been very proud of her first two CD's.

The first CD, entitled "Eclectic Chanteuse" was released by SongCrew Records in 2003, at a CD release party at The Back Fence in Greenwich Village. The second CD, "Oh, Wow!," was released in 2010, at a CD release party at Sapphire Lounge in NYC. Her 3rd CD was "BlueBird At My Window," which she recorded as part of the duo, BlueBird, with her musical partner, Bob Perfetto. Leigh and Bob recently released their 2nd duo CD, "Jazz Hands"!

This photograph of Leigh was taken circa 1990, after she returned from a vacation to Nashville, where she bought the ruffled dress and pink cowgirl hat. The pix appears, PhotoShop'd, on the cover of Leigh's 2nd CD, "Oh, Wow!" n the interim, this ruffled, layered style of skirt became all the rage!

This photograph was taken circa 1972, during the years when Leigh first began to perform (as Li Harrison) at open mics at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, NYC.

Leigh was a music major during some of her college undergraduate years, and also studied guitar for many years. One of her jazz teachers was Woody Mann at the Guitar Study Center (incorporated into the New School.) Leigh plays acoustic and electric 6 and 12-string guitars, Dobro, banjo/guitar, and diatonic African flute; she has played percussion and performed as a back-up vocalist with numerous blues, rock, and country bands, including Bokum Road, Graft, Sweet Cash, and The Nite Owls.

"BlueBird" is a musical duo featuring Leigh on vocals and guitar, and her long-time musical collaborator, Bobby Perfect, on guitar (or bass) and vocals. Working in a duo gives both Bob and Leigh the opportunity to "stretch out" a bit as musicians. As Leigh explains, "I always enjoy working with Bobby for the wonderful lead work he adds to my songs; he always PLAYS TO THE SONG, and his music is lovely, lucid, and powerful." In 2017, BlueBird's first CD, "BlueBird At My Window," was released. Their second CD, "Jazz Hands," was released in 2024 on the SongCrew label.

Among the bands Leigh has worked in as a vocalist are "Presents of Mind," "High Park" (Toronto, Canada, 1978), "Suite Dreams," "The King Biscuit Blues Band," "The Night Owl Blues Band," "Magic Mechanism," "Jukebox Jamboree," "Cheyenne Social Club," and "BlueBird."

Back in the early 1980's, noted music press photographer Russell Reif described Leigh's voice as "whisky with a shot of honey," and, by others more recently, her voice was described as "a smoky alto," and capable of variety within a performance, going from "funky to sultry to sweet."