Leo Lyons

Leo Lyons became a professional musician early on in his life while playing with bands in London, England. He gravitated to the skiffle genre, playing first the banjo and then the guitar, but then took up the bass and joined the group The Jaybirds with guitarist Alvin Lee. The Jaybirds later changed their name to Ten Years After and put out their debut record on Deram Records. The band built up their European following, and soon started touring around the United States as well. This allowed them to participate in historical music festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival, the Woodstock Music & Arts Festival and the Isle of Wight Festival. Leo recalled where his passion for music came from and what it was like to be a part of such an iconic British Invasion band in his 2020 virtual NAMM Oral History interview.