Date of Birth: April 1, 1978 Birthplace: Kankakee, IL “Damn!! That girl can play guitar!” That’s what most people say when they hear Leigh Evin McCullough perform for the first time. It’s hard to believe that she has only been playing guitar since turning 22. Leigh’s powerful presence is also felt through the raw honesty in her lyrics. Her musical influences are Patti Smith, Ryan Adams, David Bowie, Prince, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Ani DiFranco, Liz Phair, John Lennon, and Stevie Nicks. From these artists she crafted her own independent “say-what-she-will” style by transforming life experience into music. During a college internship, she wound up in Colorado, where she befriended numerous local musicians and songwriters. While immersed in this musical community, Leigh formed a passion for songwriting as a form of individual expression. After returning from the Rockies, Leigh befriended a female guitar player with whom she started to collaborate. Frustrated by her musical inexperience and inspired by her friend’s playing, Leigh decided to master the guitar to accompany her voice. This opened her creative floodgates and allowed her to expand her depth and texture as a musician. Leigh felt that reaching people on a personal level was more important than being the next “American Idol.” Wanting to avoid the trappings of stardom and the corporate music world, she started playing at open mic nights in coffee houses and bars throughout central and eastern Illinois. Her experience as a female singer/songwriter has been like many who came before her; she soon realized her gender was a determining factor in her audience’s opinion of her music. In order to really reach people and be respected as a musician, Leigh felt she needed a tangible product. In February of 2001, Leigh began the recording of her first CD. The process took two years and a move to Chicago to complete. Through the support of family and friends the CD was finally finished in late October of 2003. When asked how she writes Leigh states, “There is no filter for me. No one is safe from being a subject of my songs. For some that’s good, for others…bad, real bad. I like to take an uncomfortable subject and attach it to a melody that people find impossible to get out of their heads. That way you are compelled to think about it.” | |||
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Other artists from Naperville, IL Eric Jackson Ben Thomas Thomas Lisa | |||
Uncommon Ground Past Show Dates | |||
| 2005-01-30 (1252 days) | Lixian Hantover | ||
| Leigh Evin McCullough | |||
| Ben Summers | |||
