Mick and Keith—And Chuck: The Rolling Stones’ Essential, Unsung Rock-and-Roll Hero

Chuck Leavell, the Stones’ piano player and road musical director, keeps the musical peace between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the sacred book of Stones tunes. “How does it end?” he says. “Nobody knows.”

By Joe Hagan
November 27, 2019


Chuck Leavell performs in Atlanta in 2012.By T. Lynne Pixley/The New York Times/Redux.

[www.vanityfair.com]

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bye bye johnny
Mick and Keith—And Chuck: The Rolling Stones’ Essential, Unsung Rock-and-Roll Hero

Chuck Leavell, the Stones’ piano player and road musical director, keeps the musical peace between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the sacred book of Stones tunes. “How does it end?” he says. “Nobody knows.”

By Joe Hagan
November 27, 2019


Chuck Leavell performs in Atlanta in 2012.By T. Lynne Pixley/The New York Times/Redux.

[www.vanityfair.com]

Many thanks BBJ!!

Does he EVER say something new that is not the usual I am the musical director / set list guru of the rolling stones?

C

I don't think I've ever heard of Chuck being called "the fifth Rolling Stone".

This whole "musical director" trip is bullshit: Before every show, he proposes the next setlist on his MacBook, making sure that they don’t repeat songs from the last date in the same city. Then he emails it to Jagger, and Jagger emails back what he thinks.

There's zero truth to that litigious statement. He should be sued for impersonating someone that knows what they're talking about. He certainly does what is said - but there is no reason to believe that Jagger takes that seriously. There is no reason to take any of it seriously. What a big whup - Jumpin' Jack Flash will be the opener tonight!

Just like it was throughout tours ever since 1999, which was the first time since 1971. OMG OMG OMG. Like, OMG.

They played Harlem Shuffle for the first time since 1990? They're a nostalgia band. They played I Wanna Be Your Man for the first time since 1963 in 2012 - more than once. THAT was a nice little nod to the past - the most acknowledgement they gave their starting career, recording wise.

He thinks BRIDGES is "iffy" becasue he's not on it!

What a joke. The guy is a paunch. Fluff pieces like this reveal more and more every time why the Stones didn't have him around for the sessions that allowed BLUE AND LONESOME to come about: he's a whiny pain in the ass nerd that thinks every song is Jessica.

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liddas
Does he EVER say something new that is not the usual I am the musical director / set list guru of the rolling stones?

C

Well if he says : hey guys I play drums on the 1985 unreleased song "Deep Love" people will go "huh?" so it's better for him to give the usual blah-blah.

"“At that point, I began taking copious notes of arrangements,” he continues. “I began to make chord charts and handwritten notes, and that stayed the same"

That's why the music turned a bit stale. No need to re-arrange old songs, no need to explore if one particular song might sound better in standard or open G Chuck has already provided all the answers, so the rehearsals are just a process where they warm up the live machine.
Alas...

<He thinks BRIDGES is "iffy" becasue he's not on it!>

A good read, appreciate the post.

Not much new. I don’t remember seeing before that there are 5 tour doctors.

Had bookmarked this, looks like the executive summary has been provided above ;-)

B2B "iffy" ? WTF, that's the best thing they've done this side of, hum...TY I suppose, maybe BECAUSE Chuck was uninvited. I remember reading that he was "crushed" not to have been asked to join the sessions, supposedly because he'd claimed that he was the "musical director" and that didn't go down well with the Glimmers. It seems he's now gotten his revenge !

So yes he's got everything written down to a "t" in his little book, and having had the good fortune of seeing them actually rehearse in Bondy, it's clear HE was in charge, in the sense that they all flocked to see him to discuss the song they were going to play. Probably not what we'd like to think but it's a fact. I remember he even cued the recording of "Little Red Rooster" for them.

Thing is if Chuck wasn't around with his little book and his "memory" it would be a much HARDER process for them to rehearse and play live...maybe they wouldn't be playing anymore without Chuck, or it would be someone else.

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

Has anyone ever seen any evidence of this?

"More importantly, perhaps, Leavell is tasked with keeping Jagger and Richards from losing their places in the songs, cueing them for solos and endings. He’s like a conductor, making sure Jagger and Richards, who stand 50 feet apart from each other onstage, coordinate. “When I first came in, in 1982, the consistency was not always there,” he admits. “The graph was up and down quite a lot. Now the graph is pretty much a straight line.”"

I mean, I've seen them live a few (!) times and have watched a billion live videos, but I've never seen any evidence of Suck Leavell being some kind of conductor of the band. This is just total fantasy.

You must have missed the many times that they look at him, it's pretty obvious for Mick since he's the main focus of attentionm

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

I would never call myself Chuck's biggest fan ...but I do think he gets a lot of unjustified stick on these pages.

Gratuitous "Chuck Bashing" seems to be a bit of a local sporting pursuit around here

I stopped reading when they called him the fifth Rolling Stone. That was in the first paragraph.

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Spud

Gratuitous "Chuck Bashing" seems to be a bit of a local sporting pursuit around here

Well it's a sport that's free and doesn't take a lot of physical effort so it's perfect for the average IORR attendee...

The guy is an easy target but his behaviour invites that sort of comments. Developing a coke habit could have upped his cred more than releasing a big band album.

He seems the go-to guy for a lot of big acts, i.e David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, in addition to the Stones.

I also like his guest appearances with Gov't Mule on a new year's live gig the Mule did in 1999, on Look Over Yonder's Wall.

When they say some people call him the "Fifth Stone," they likely mean in his home. Seriously, I'll defend his 1980s session work with the Stones all day long. He plays terrific on those three albums. After that he doesn't really register in the studio much which is a shame. Live, he's never played to his strengths with them. You would have needed Keith and Ronnie to be in much more consistently reliable form for him to have done so. It would be great if in concert, he had a real piano to play or relied on the great organ work you hear on UNDERCOVER and DIRTY WORK, but he can't really do that when he's not just playing keyboards but using keyboards to mask guitars. That includes Mick, to be fair. Have a listen to any version of "Sad, Sad, Sad" from STEEL WHEELS and URBAN JUNGLE. See Mick's hand hammer away and hear only Chuck's bad keyboard.

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GasLightStreet
I don't think I've ever heard of Chuck being called "the fifth Rolling Stone".

This whole "musical director" trip is bullshit: Before every show, he proposes the next setlist on his MacBook, making sure that they don’t repeat songs from the last date in the same city. Then he emails it to Jagger, and Jagger emails back what he thinks.

There's zero truth to that litigious statement. He should be sued for impersonating someone that knows what they're talking about. He certainly does what is said - but there is no reason to believe that Jagger takes that seriously. There is no reason to take any of it seriously. What a big whup - Jumpin' Jack Flash will be the opener tonight!

Just like it was throughout tours ever since 1999, which was the first time since 1971. OMG OMG OMG. Like, OMG.

They played Harlem Shuffle for the first time since 1990? They're a nostalgia band. They played I Wanna Be Your Man for the first time since 1963 in 2012 - more than once. THAT was a nice little nod to the past - the most acknowledgement they gave their starting career, recording wise.

He thinks BRIDGES is "iffy" becasue he's not on it!

What a joke. The guy is a paunch. Fluff pieces like this reveal more and more every time why the Stones didn't have him around for the sessions that allowed BLUE AND LONESOME to come about: he's a whiny pain in the ass nerd that thinks every song is Jessica.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

hate on chuckles all u want but the only way to do it honestly is to simultaneously hate on latter day stones ... cuz hcuck leavell IS the modern day stones. they don't exist w/o him. so if u dig the HOT ROCKS karaoke tours and the can everybody in cleveland say ooh yeah midnight ramblers then you also dig dig dig leavell. aint one w/o the other.

jaggerz & richardz are alpha male cutthroat devious vicious bastards - as are all ppl who climb to the top of a competitive enterprise - so give them the credit they deserve: they LOVE what chuckles brings to the table and know that their never-ending cash grab would not be possible w/o him.

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LazarusSmith
give them the credit they deserve: they LOVE what chuckles brings to the table and know that their never-ending cash grab would not be possible w/o him.

Certainly! Chuck is drug-free and is therefore 100% reliable.he's the perfect musical butler for the rock royalty that is this band.
Have you noticed in the article that Chuck doesn't share the band's backstage space? That's only normal : butlers don't eat at the same table as their master.

jaggerz & richardz are alpha male cutthroat devious vicious bastards - as are all ppl who climb to the top of a competitive enterprise

…. awwww come on laz …. trampz will show the razor for a guzzle of booze ….



ROCKMAN

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Rockman
jaggerz & richardz are alpha male cutthroat devious vicious bastards - as are all ppl who climb to the top of a competitive enterprise

…. awwww come on laz …. trampz will show the razor for a guzzle of booze ….

taint nuthin competitive bout bein a tramp rockee — anybody can do it!

don't bet on it Laz ....from gutters ta 11 star
hotels people crave what those next to 'em have ...



ROCKMAN

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LazarusSmith
hate on chuckles all u want but the only way to do it honestly is to simultaneously hate on latter day stones ... cuz hcuck leavell IS the modern day stones. they don't exist w/o him. so if u dig the HOT ROCKS karaoke tours and the can everybody in cleveland say ooh yeah midnight ramblers then you also dig dig dig leavell. aint one w/o the other.

jaggerz & richardz are alpha male cutthroat devious vicious bastards - as are all ppl who climb to the top of a competitive enterprise - so give them the credit they deserve: they LOVE what chuckles brings to the table and know that their never-ending cash grab would not be possible w/o him.

How does one hate "on" something? I suppose you say based "off" as well. King's English aside, Cleveland hasn't seen a Stones show since 2002 and never had a chance to partake in the Muddy Waters singalong that bothers so many latter-day fans.

Not truly picking on you, Lazarus. I've read plenty of posts from you that demonstrate you are an intelligent person who articulates his ideas well. I just find the current affected "jaggerz talk u adopted on" to be a challenge to process quickly. It's like reading a letter from Prince.

Fans often blame Darryl, Chuck, and Don for the jobs they're hired to do by Mick and Keith. It's easier than saying "I don't like the band any more." If they did acknowledge that, a large number wouldn't post on Stones message boards daily...or at least not under more than one identity.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-11-30 00:49 by Rocky Dijon.

..... wish they'd hire me ... even as the bag carrying water-boy ....



ROCKMAN

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Rocky Dijon

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LazarusSmith
hate on chuckles all u want but the only way to do it honestly is to simultaneously hate on latter day stones ... cuz hcuck leavell IS the modern day stones. they don't exist w/o him. so if u dig the HOT ROCKS karaoke tours and the can everybody in cleveland say ooh yeah midnight ramblers then you also dig dig dig leavell. aint one w/o the other.

jaggerz & richardz are alpha male cutthroat devious vicious bastards - as are all ppl who climb to the top of a competitive enterprise - so give them the credit they deserve: they LOVE what chuckles brings to the table and know that their never-ending cash grab would not be possible w/o him.

How does one hate "on" something? I suppose you say based "off" as well. King's English aside, Cleveland hasn't seen a Stones show since 2002 and never had a chance to partake in the Muddy Waters singalong that bothers so many latter-day fans.

Not truly picking on you, Lazarus. I've read plenty of posts from you that demonstrate you are an intelligent person who articulates his ideas well. I just find the current affected "jaggerz talk u adopted on" to be a challenge to process quickly. It's like reading a letter from Prince.

Fans often blame Darryl, Chuck, and Don for the jobs they're hired to do by Mick and Keith. It's easier than saying "I don't like the band any more." If they did acknowledge that, a large number wouldn't post on Stones message boards daily...or at least not under more than one identity.

A true fan of latter-day Stones must ultimately embrace his or her own inner Leavell ... all else is self-delusion!

At the end of the day, you either abandon the current version of the band (while continuing to love its past iterations) or you accept that current band for what it is. Mick and Keith can neither sing nor play like they used to; they certainly can't write like they once could. But, with the considerable assistance of a certain Southern keyboard player and 'musical director,' they are able to stage what amounts to a reasonable facsimile of what they once were. There's no romanticized version any more of what "the boys" would be if they were stripped down and rid of Chuck's plink-plonk ... they would be unable to stay on track and they would stop touring forever rather than risk humiiation. He makes the Stones you see on stage today possible, for better or worse.

I'll applaud that for both honesty and for being very well-stated. Bjornulf's oft-repeated remark about any of the support players or Don Was is to state simply, these people are there because Mick and Keith want them. That's certainly true as well. There's no shortage of keyboard players, bass players, back up singers, vocal and musical arrangers, producers, and engineers who would love to work with them. They stick with who they have for a reason whether we like it or not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-11-30 02:28 by Rocky Dijon.

By sticking with Chuck and Don Was all these years, seems true that old habits die hard ...
Could be worse I suppose.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Great article. One of many great bits:

Mainly Leavell keeps his eyes on Jagger. “It’s part of my job to watch almost his every move, because if there’s any question in his mind on a musical issue, I’ve got to be there for him,” he says. “That’s my job. And I want to be there for him. I’m watching him probably more than the audience is.”

Bjornulf

He also maintains a database of all the setlists. Before every show, he proposes the next setlist on his MacBook, making sure that they don’t repeat songs from the last date in the same city. Then he emails it to Jagger, and Jagger emails back what he thinks. Leavell, personally, would like to play some of the outlier Stones tunes, like “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” from Sticky Fingers, but Jagger is strictly focused on hits. “Anything that’s not a rocker, he thinks, Maybe we should have an up-tempo thing,” Leavell says. “It’s the way Mick views working the crowd—he likes the excitement. We’ll have conversations where he says, ‘I noticed that everybody was not looking up and wasn’t engaged, and I want them engaged.’”

See Leavell's comments on songs to play during concerts. To play hits or songs like CYHMK

I'd love to know what people like Chuck and many others REALLY think of them?
They'll never tell.