Guitarist Gerry Leonard talks David Bowie, Suzanne Vega and Aston mics

Musician and producer Gerry Leonard played in bands during the punk era in his home town of Dublin, before moving to New York to find work as a guitar player. His career really got going when, on the recommendation of a friend, a certain David Bowie came to check him out at the fifty-capacity coffeehouse where Gerry was playing a solo show. He became he guitar player on Bowe’s albums, from ‘Heathen’ through to ‘The Next Day’, and was also MD on the ‘Reality’ tour. The in-demand musician’s credits now also include Suzanne Vega, Rufus Wainwright, Laurie Anderson, Roger Waters and many others.

Gerry also offers his considerable talents as a guitarist and a producer to up-and-coming artists, with his own recording facility in upstate New York. Live and in the studio he uses two amps - from his extensive collection - in stereo, with Aston mics tasked with capturing his sound. Gerry has a Spirit LCD, a matched stereo pair of Starlight SDCs and the ground-breaking Aston Stealth 4-voice, active/passive, dynamic microphone.

“I used the Stealth and the Spirit on either side of a two-amp set-up recently and that was a really satisfying combination!” Gerry told us.

Gerry is currently touring and recording with Suzanne Vega and is also on the ‘Bowie Celebration’ tour where the artist’s ex-band members perform his music with guest vocalists.

Read our full interview with Gerry Leonard here: