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Friday, 8 May 2015

LEON BERGER


Leon Berger was born in Moscow in 1946 and studied at the Moscow Conservatory of Music. He left his native Russia in 1973 after playing in that country's most popular band. Establishing himself in Australia he was signed to the EMI label and recorded his first single, ''Show Me The Way To The Jungle'' in 1977. The song charted in Perth. His self-titled debut album was recorded at EMI studios in Sydney produced by Russell Dunlop.

This was followed by singles, ''Sarah'' in 1978 (also released in NZ) and ''Love Is Like A Rainbow'' in 1979 which peaked at #56 in Sydney.  His second album 'Living In A Mirror' was released in 1980. A couple of singles followed but without success. In the late 70s he formed The Leon Berger Band that had a residency at the Musicians Club in Surrey Hills, Sydney. The band was extremely popular with punters and was one of the best live acts at the time.

In the mid 80s he teamed up with New Zealand singer Tina Cross to form Koo De Tah. They had a huge hit in 1985 with ''Too Young For Promises'' which went Top Ten nationally. Their next release ''Body Talk'' also made the Top 30. As a producer he has been involved with many acts including Melissa Tkautz whose single ''Read My Lips'' went #1 in Australia. Berger is a sadly unrecognised talent in Australia - singer⁄songwriter⁄producer who has been on the Australian music scene for many years.




SINGLES 
''Show Me The Way To The Jungle (#88) / You Gonna' Rock 'N' Roll'' 1977 EMI
''Sarah / Lucky Am I'' 1978 OZ
''Love Is Like A Rainbow (#97) / Talkin' Life'' 1978 OZ
''Take Me Higher / Maybe It's The Way The Wind Blows'' 1980 EMI
''Long Trip To Paradise / Love's A Peculiar Thing'' 1981 EMI 

ALBUMS 
'Leon Berger' 1977 OZ
'Living In A Mirror' 1980 EMI
'Sports Themes' [with John Cooke / Phil Moore] 1985 Boosey & Hawkes
'The Power Connection' [with Colin Webber, Mars Lasar, Phil Moore] 1987 Cavendish Music
'To Every Action' 1988 Cavendish Music
'The Ghost of The Somme' [with Tina Cross] 2015
References

 http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/


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10 comments:

  1. Anonymous16 July 2017 at 18:35

    Hi, I too have done my best to promote Leon Berger's brilliant talents through a face book group page, just search for:

    The Leon Berger Band - Surrey Hills Musician's Club, Sydney

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown13 November 2018 at 08:43

    Leon Berger is an outstanding musician and his bands were fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous25 September 2019 at 19:23

    At first listen, I fell in love with this track. That was 1977 and I was working at a radio station in Wollongong. 22 Years later and I love it still. Beautiful song.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous25 September 2019 at 19:26

      My bad typing! 42 years later is more like it.

      Delete
  4. Unknown24 January 2021 at 00:32

    Seems like yesterday.
    You're unforgettable.
    Arrivaderci Miss Sam.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown1 October 2021 at 10:37

    Happy75th Leon
    Still with you
    Think of me,Su

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous25 October 2022 at 11:00

    Where can we find his hit single “ Sarah?”

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous30 October 2022 at 22:41

    Maybe I was his most avid fan attending a few sessions a week at the Muso's Club. I admired the psychology in his songs, especially Perpetual Motion. When I Die was a uniquely soulful delve into our final days. Surely Spirit Will Survive must uniquely be the only song covering the whole history of the human race - and encased in a brilliant eternal music arrangement. And surely one of the greatest introductions to a rock song occurs in The Awakening of Sleeping Venus. Obviously I could go on forever but I consider him the greatest talent you tread foot on our shores. Peter Hanna. Peterthanna@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete

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