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The Chris LeBlanc BandBy Michael IngallineraPhotos by Richard Feldman
LeBlanc has released four CDs: "The Chris LeBlanc Band" (1995); "Talent Show" (1998); "Son of the South" (2001); and last year's "Starshine." "I recorded 'Son of the South' right after my son was born and basically, it was an acoustic, performance record," says LeBlanc. "I did the entire CD in about 3 1/2 hours. It is a mix of my songs and some of my favorite cover tunes. I recorded two tracks of each tune and picked the best take. That was it. 'Starshine' is our latest effort and we worked hard on it. There are seven studio tracks and six live tracks of the band playing at The Vineyard on a packed night. It really tells the tale of what The Chris LeBlanc Band does featuring Nickie Dimaio on drums and Sean Keiser on bass." The Chris LeBlanc Band flew to Anchorage, Alaska, last year to open for Buddy Guy at the Blues on the Green Festival. The band also performed before 16,000 people for a ZZ Top/Hank Williams Jr. concert in Beaumont, Texas last summer. This April, LeBlanc opened for Leon Russell at the House of Blues in New Orleans. "I am very appreciative that all of this has happened without me having to move to a major metropolitan music city," says LeBlanc. "The reason I never left Baton Rouge is that I have a huge family here. I am the oldest of 28 grandchildren. I want my son to grow up in a family environment. My wife Christine is unbelievable. She has stuck with me through years of late nights at work and my not being home all the time. I want people to understand that I am, first and foremost, a husband and a dad. "The music world today is so sugar coated. Music means more to me than a 'here today, gone tomorrow' thing. I have a lifetime of music to offer. My face may not be on VH1 because I have so much more to offer musically. I want to keep on giving. As I get older, it only is going to get better and better."
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Chris LeBlanc simply is the best guitarist and most versatile performer you are likely to see in Baton Rouge on any given night. LeBlanc delivers a clean, natural blend of blues, rock and some country styles without a hint of pretentiousness. He writes his own music, so he is careful to avoid uninspired imitations of other people's songs. LeBlanc prefers to dig into the root feeling of the music and reinterpret it in his own way. On and offstage, LeBlanc displays great presence and charm with simple honesty. "I strive to be the best, and I want to be the best — that is not too much to ask, to be the best," LeBlanc laughs. "I feel really blessed because I have had a lot of good influences. It is not about being a rock star to me, it is about going out and playing real music. That is what will come across to people. "With Southern people, you cannot fake that. People down South will see right through that. If the music is real, it's good. That is what has kept me in a job, because I want to deliver it real."
LeBlanc grew up in a family of local entertainers and says he was exposed to music even before birth. His parents attended a Jimi Hendrix Experience concert at Independence Hall in the late '60s while his mother was carrying him. LeBlanc learned to play bass, drums and trumpet at an early age before he devoted himself to acoustic and electric guitar. Knowledge of various instruments expanded his musical harmony and eventually helped him to write and construct songs.
