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THE BiTS INTERVIEW: Leighton Phoenix
L.R. Phoenix is an English blues guitarist/singer/songwriter
who happens to live in Finland. He plays in the style of
Mississippi bluesmen like Fred McDowell, Junior Kimbrough
and R.L. Burnside. He is a fine guitar player. He also has a
commanding voice making him a powerhouse bluesman in
the tradition of acoustic blues music from the nineteen
twenties and thirties.
Ian McKenzie spoke to him on the telephone at his home in
Finland.
LP: Hello.
L.R. Phoenix
BiTS: Leighton, is that you?
LP: No, don't worry, I've just been
sitting here nervously waiting for
you to ring.
BiTS: Well, let's make a start,
please. Tell me something about
yourself. I really know next to
nothing about you, except that you
were born somewhere in the UK
and now live in Finland.
LP: Yes, yes, I was born in the
lovely town of Crawley in the early
70s. If you know anything about
The Cure’s music, they give you a
pretty good idea of what Crawley’s
like. I moved to Finland in early
2000, maybe 2002, I moved here.
So I came here and that was with
my first wife, my practise wife. I've
got remarried since then to my
proper wife but yeah, I do get back
to England sometimes to see the
family and things.
BiTS: When did you start listening
to blues music?
