Biography
Lafayette Leake ranks among the most mysterious major talents linked to the Chess Records circle. His aversion to public attention left almost no biographical traces beyond the many sides where his playing appears. Born in Winona, MS, in 1920, he displayed an instinctive command of piano that embraced an enormous stylistic span, from classical music—he had undertaken some formal study—to blues, which became his main source of work while he remained in Mississippi. His broad command, skill at reproducing other performers by ear, and forceful execution set him apart in the Chicago blues world of the early 1950s. He befriended Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston of the Big Three Trio and stepped in as replacement when Caston’s marital troubles compelled him to exit the group. Once Willie Dixon moved into songwriting and in-house production at Chess Records, Leake accompanied him, contributing to numerous Dixon-supervised dates and many others. His piano surfaces on recordings by Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf, Billy Boy Arnold, Otis Rush, Junior Wells, Little Walter, Homesick James, Sonny Boy Williamson, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, and additional artists. He functioned as a studio mainstay for the Chess operation, reading music and executing whatever material was requested, however demanding; Dixon came to count on him regularly. Leake also belonged to Chuck Berry’s first touring band, assembled after the singer’s debut single, “Maybellene.” Yet his shyness kept this talent from yielding solo stardom until the final phase of his career. Outside a handful of 1960s sessions produced by E. Rodney Jones that generated music now difficult to obtain, Leake did not appear as leader of his own band until the 1970s. Those dates were made for the French Black and Blue label and have since been reissued on CD. His name remains a constant in the credits of countless CD reissues, especially in rock & roll and blues. Still active through the 1970s, he died in 1990 at the age of 71 and continues to stand as one of the most enigmatic figures on the Chess Records roster.