Biography
Emerging from Austin in 1981, the LeRoi Brothers quickly established themselves among the scene’s most raucous and enduring acts through a high-energy blend of blues, rockabilly, R&B, country, soul, zydeco, and garage rock. The original trio featured drummer Mike Buck, a founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, guitarist Don Leady, later founder of the Tailgators, and guitarist Steve Doerr. Their debut full-length, Check This Action, appeared in 1983. Over time Doerr and Buck remained the only continuous members, issuing several studio albums while maintaining a steady schedule of high-octane live shows. Although commercial breakthrough eluded them, the group earned lasting local renown, received induction into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2014, and kept performing regularly.
The band’s roots trace to an earlier configuration that included Steve Doerr, Don Leady, Mike Buck, bassist Alex Napier, and vocalist Lou Ann Barton, who performed in Austin clubs under the names the Headhunters and Lou Ann & the Fliptops. Once Elektra Records began pursuing Barton, Doerr, Leady, and Buck formed the LeRoi Brothers; their explosive club performances soon attracted a growing audience. An EP titled Moon Twist surfaced on Amazing Records in 1981, followed in 1983 by the Jungle Records album Check This Action, which featured Fabulous Thunderbirds bassist Keith Ferguson. The record gained underground traction and drew praise from Rank and File, the Blasters, and X for its raw vitality. The lineup then expanded to include Steve’s brother Joe Doerr and bassist Jack Newhouse, leading to a Columbia contract that yielded the 1984 EP Forget About the Danger and the 1985 EP The LeRoi Brothers. Regional success did not translate nationally, prompting co-founder Don Leady to exit and form the swamp-rock trio the Tailgators.
Evan Johns, previously of the H-Bombs, joined on guitar and supplied a compatible mix of fiery playing, raspy vocals, and playful stage presence that meshed with the band’s live approach. Subsequent releases—Open All Night in 1986, Viva LeRoi in 1989, Rhythm & Booze in 1990, and Kings of the Catnap in 2000—found the group refining a consistent rockabilly-country-R&B style, yet the stage remained their natural element, where performances stayed both unrestrained and precise. The Austin Music Hall of Fame inducted the band in 2014, and in 2019 Jungle Records issued a definitive reissue of Check This Action that also contained the 1981 EP Moon Twist.
The band’s roots trace to an earlier configuration that included Steve Doerr, Don Leady, Mike Buck, bassist Alex Napier, and vocalist Lou Ann Barton, who performed in Austin clubs under the names the Headhunters and Lou Ann & the Fliptops. Once Elektra Records began pursuing Barton, Doerr, Leady, and Buck formed the LeRoi Brothers; their explosive club performances soon attracted a growing audience. An EP titled Moon Twist surfaced on Amazing Records in 1981, followed in 1983 by the Jungle Records album Check This Action, which featured Fabulous Thunderbirds bassist Keith Ferguson. The record gained underground traction and drew praise from Rank and File, the Blasters, and X for its raw vitality. The lineup then expanded to include Steve’s brother Joe Doerr and bassist Jack Newhouse, leading to a Columbia contract that yielded the 1984 EP Forget About the Danger and the 1985 EP The LeRoi Brothers. Regional success did not translate nationally, prompting co-founder Don Leady to exit and form the swamp-rock trio the Tailgators.
Evan Johns, previously of the H-Bombs, joined on guitar and supplied a compatible mix of fiery playing, raspy vocals, and playful stage presence that meshed with the band’s live approach. Subsequent releases—Open All Night in 1986, Viva LeRoi in 1989, Rhythm & Booze in 1990, and Kings of the Catnap in 2000—found the group refining a consistent rockabilly-country-R&B style, yet the stage remained their natural element, where performances stayed both unrestrained and precise. The Austin Music Hall of Fame inducted the band in 2014, and in 2019 Jungle Records issued a definitive reissue of Check This Action that also contained the 1981 EP Moon Twist.
Albums
