Howard Leese (born June 13, 1951 in Hollywood, California) is an American guitarist, record producer, and musical director who played with Heart for 22 years (1975 through 1997). He continues to record and tour as a solo artist, and as guitarist with The Paul Rodgers Band and Bad Company. (More from Wikipedia)
Many women perform with their sisters in order to have company in otherwise all-male bands, and that is true of Heart, one of the most successful and longest-lived hard rock bands in history. This is another band that would have been a good one to add to the discussion some months back about bands with a hidden history. Everyone thinks of lead vocalist Ann Wilson and her sister, guitarist and vocalist Nancy Wilson when they think of Heart; but actually, Heart began in Vancouver, British Columbia all the way back in 1963, when bass guitarist Steve Fossen and guitarist brothers Roger Fisher and Mike Fisher started a band initially called the Army that later took the name White Heart. The Wilson sisters became romantically involved with the Fisher brothers – Ann with Mike, and Nancy with Roger – and Nancy Wilson officially joined the band in 1974 following shortly by Ann Wilson. After Mike Fisher became the band’s engineer, keyboardist Howard Leese and drummer Michael Derosier rounded out the band.
(November 2013)
