Jackie Leven (18 June 1950 – 14 November 2011) was a Scottish songwriter and folk musician. After starting his career as a folk musician in the late 1960s, he first found success with new wave band Doll by Doll. He later recorded as a solo artist, releasing more than twenty albums under his own name or under the pseudonym Sir Vincent Lone.

Biography

Leven started his musical career in the late 1960s under the pseudonym John St Field, and recorded one album, Control, in 1971 which was released only in Spain in 1973.

He formed the band Doll by Doll in 1977.

Discography

As John St Field

  • Control (1971) – initially released on a Spanish label, reissued in 1997 by Cooking Vinyl, again reissued in 2001 by Cooking Vinyl as part of the Great Songs From Eternal Bars 4CD-set

As a member of Doll by Doll

  • Remember (1979), Automatic
  • Gypsy Blood (1979), Automatic
  • Doll By Doll (1981), Magnet
  • Grand Passion (1982), Magnet
  • Revenge of Memory (Live at The Sheffield Limits Club 1977) (2003), Haunted Valley

As a solo artist

  • "Love is Shining Down (On Me)" (1983) 12-inch single – 45 rpm, Charisma Music Publishing, Virgin Records UK ** The Famous Charisma Label
  • "Uptown / Tropic of Cool" (1984) 12-inch and 7-inch single, Charisma

Commercial releases

  • Songs from the Argyll Cycle EP (1994), Cooking Vinyl – Scotland only release
  • The Mystery of Love Is Greater Than The Mystery of Death (1994), Cooking Vinyl
  • The Right to Remain Silent: the Mystery Supplement EP (1994), Cooking Vinyl
  • Forbidden Songs of The Dying West (1995), Cooking Vinyl – reissued as part of the Great Songs From Eternal Bars 4CD-set (2001)
  • The Argyll Cycle, Volume One (1996), Cooking Vinyl
  • Fairytales For Hardmen (1997), Cooking Vinyl – reissued as part of the Great Songs From Eternal Bars 4CD-set (2001)
  • Night Lilies (1998), Cooking Vinyl
  • Defending Ancient Springs (2000), Cooking Vinyl
  • Creatures of Light And Darkness (2001), Cooking Vinyl
  • Great Songs From Eternal Bars (2001), Cooking Vinyl
  • Shining Brother, Shining Sister (2003), Cooking Vinyl
  • For Peace Comes Dropping Slow (2004), Cooking Vinyl
  • Songs For Lonely Americans (2006), Cooking Vinyl – as 'Sir Vincent Lone'
  • Jackie Leven Said (2005), Cooking Vinyl – with Ian Rankin
  • Elegy for Johnny Cash (2005), Cooking Vinyl
  • Oh What a Blow That Phantom Dealt Me! (2007), Cooking Vinyl
  • When the Bridegroom Comes (2007), Cooking Vinyl – as 'Sir Vincent Lone'
  • Chip Pan Fire – Jackie Balfour (2007), Cooking Vinyl
  • Lovers at the Gun Club (2008), Cooking Vinyl
  • The Haunted Year – Winter (2009), Cooking Vinyl
  • The Haunted Year – Spring (2009), Cooking Vinyl
  • Troubadour Heart – Sir Vincent Lone (2009), Cooking Vinyl – as 'Sir Vincent Lone'
  • The Haunted Year – Summer (2009), Cooking Vinyl
  • The Haunted Year – Autumn (2009), Cooking Vinyl
  • Gothic Road (2010), Cooking Vinyl
  • Wayside Shrines and the Code of the Travelling Man (2011), Cooking Vinyl – with Michael Cosgrave
  • Heroes Can Be Any Size (2012), Cooking Vinyl: Cover-mounted CD with March 2012 issue of The Word, also commercially available

Fanclub-only releases

  • For Peace Comes Dropping Slow (1997), Haunted Valley – reissued by Cooking Vinyl (2004)
  • Saint Judas: When I Went Out to Kill Myself (1998), Haunted Valley
  • Man Bleeds in Glasgow (1999), Haunted Valley – as Jackie Leven and the Celtic Soulmen – reissued by Cooking Vinyl as The Haunted Year – Spring (2009)
  • The Wanderer (1999), Haunted Valley- reissued by Cooking Vinyl as part of the Great Songs From Eternal Bars 4CD-set (2001)
  • Greek Notebook (1999), Haunted Valley – reissued by Cooking Vinyl as The Haunted Year – Autumn (2009)
  • Munich Blues (2000), Haunted Valley – reissued by Cooking Vinyl as The Haunted Year – Winter (2009)
  • Deep In The Heart of Nowhere (2001), Haunted Valley – reissued by Cooking Vinyl as The Haunted Year – Summer (2009)
  • Barefoot Days (2002) – reissued by Cooking Vinyl as The Haunted Year – Summer (2009)
  • Greetings From Milford (2002), Haunted Valley – with The Stornoway Girls – reissued by Cooking Vinyl as The Haunted Year – Spring (2009)
  • Men in Prison (Live from Bergen Prison) (2003), Haunted Valley – reissued by Cooking Vinyl as The Haunted Year – Winter (2009)
  • Only The Ocean Can Forgive (2003), Haunted Valley – reissued by Cooking Vinyl as The Haunted Year – Autumn (2009)
  • One Long Cold Morning (2011)

Other releases

  • The Meeting of Remarkable Men (DVD) (2005), Cooking Vinyl
  • Live at Rockpalast (DVD) (2011), Intergroove Media GmbH

References

  • "When Britain's lost Rock Star met his old schoolmate, the Prime Minister", Neil McCormick blog, 24 February 2010, Telegraph.co.uk
  • "A Cult Artist’s Cult Artist: Who’s Jackie Leven? Ask Johnny Dowd, or Ron Sexsmith, or Pere Ubu's David Thomas", Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader, 22 April 2010
  • "Jackie Leven: Lovers at the Gun Club – The Sunday Times review", Stewart Lee, Sunday Times 24 August 2008
  • Jackie Leven website
  • Leven at Cooking Vinyl website
  • "Obituary: Jackie Leven – Maverick musician from Fife whose talent and eccentricity inspired great devotion", Colin Somerville, The Scotsman, 16 November 2011
  • Jackie Leven plays Club Riga in Southend Jackie Leven 29 January 2009