Leader Records

Leader Records was a British folk music label, started by Bill Leader. Between 1969 and 1978, Leader released many important releases of both traditional and folk revival performers, the latter category including Nic Jones, Martin Simpson and Dick Gaughan and released on a complementary label - Trailer. Among the field recordings released on the label - often with gatefold sleeves and extensive notes in a high-quality booklet - were 'The Border Minstrel' by Billy Pigg, and 'Unto Brigg Fair' which featured cylinder recordings from the early 1900s made by Percy Grainger of Joseph Taylor and other traditional Lincolnshire singers. The 4 LP boxed set 'A Song for Every Season' by the Copper Family was also recorded by Bill Leader and released on his label.

In the 1980s the Leader catalogue was sold to another record company which then went into receivership. Subsequently sold to Celtic Music, the vast majority of Leader records have remained unobtainable since then, with only a handful of tracks re-released on CD.

More information in Wikipedia

Mike Butler's Bill Leader Discography

LEA 4001 Jack Elliott of Birtley With booklet. (1969)

LER 3002 Archie Fisher & Barbara Dickson The Fate O' Charlie

LEA 2003 Seamus Ennis Masters of Irish Music Series. (1969)

LEA 2004 Martin Byrnes Masters of Irish Music series Martin Byrnes (fiddle) with Reg Hall (piano).

LEA 2005 Seamus Tansey Masters of Irish Music series. Seamus Tansey (flute, tin whistle, tambourine), Eddie Corcoran (tin whistle, tambourine), Reg Hall (piano), Paul Gross (piano). (1970)

LEA 4006 The Border Minstrel Billy Pigg - Northumbrian bagpipes. With booklet. (1972)

LER 2007 The High Level Ranters The Lads Of Northumbria

LER 3008 Bob Davenport and The Marsden Rattlers

LER 2009 Martyn Wyndham-Read Ned Kelly & That Gang

LER 3010 Lea Nicholson Horsemusic

LER 2011 Robin and Barry Dransfield The Rout of The Blues

LEA 4012 Blue Ridge Mountain Field Trip Various old time American musicians. With booklet. (1970)

LER 2013 Tony Rose Young Hunting

LER 2014 Nic Jones Ballads & Songs

LER 3015 Leon Rosselson The word is Hugga Mugga ...

LER 3016 Bob and Carole Pegg He Came From The Mountains

LER 2017 Dave and Toni Arthur Hearken To The Witches Rune

LER 3018 Rosemary Hardman & Bob Axford Second Season Came

LER 2019 The Folk Trailer Various

LER 2020 The High Level Ranters Keep Your Feet Still Geordie Hinnie

LER 3021 Roy Bailey Roy Bailey

LER 2022 Aly Bain & Mike Whellans Aly Bain - Mike Whellans

LER 2023 Derek and Dorothy Elliott Derek & Dorothy Elliott

LER 2024 Tony Rose Under The Greenwood Tree

LER 2025 Pisces Pisces

LER 2026 Robin and Barry Dransfield Lord Of All I Behold

LER 2027 Nic Jones Nic Jones

LER 2028 Martyn Wyndham-Read Martyn Wyndham-Read

LER 2029 Dave Burland A Dalesman's Litany

LER 2030 The High Level Ranters High Level

LER 3031 Keith Roberts Pier Of The Realm

LER 2032 Swan Arcade Swan Arcade

LER 2033 John Kirkpatrick Jump at the Sun

LER 3034 Roger Nicholson Nonesuch For Dulcimer

LER 3035 Christy Moore Prosperous

LER 3036 The Green Linnet Tim Lyons (1972)

LER 2037 The High Level Ranters A Mile To Ride

LER 2038 Ray Fisher The Bonnie Birdy

LER 2039 Mike Harding A Lancashire Lad

LEA 4040 North Carolina Boys Gray Craig and the New North Carolina Ramblers and Tex Islay. With booklet

LEA 4041 Charlie Wills With booklet. (1972)

LEE 4042 George Dunn (1975)

LEA 2043 John Doonan Flute for the Feis

LEA 2044 Music from the Coleman Country The Coleman Country Traditional Society: Fred Finn, Peter Horan, Andrew Davey, John O'Gara, Jim Donaghue, John Joe Mooney, Bernie Finn, Seamus Tansey, Tommy Toolan, Oliver Killoran. (1975)

LEE 4045 Lonnie Austin & Norman Woodlieff Lonnie Austin & Norman Woodlieff

LEAB 404 A Song for Every Season The Copper Family. Boxed set of 4 records, with 16 page booklet. (1971)

LEA 4046 - Tater Beer Night:

LEA 4047 - Black Ram:

LEA 4048 - Hollerin' Pot:

LEA 4049 - Turn o' the Year:

LEA 4050 Unto Brigg Fair Joseph Taylor and other traditional Lincolnshire singers. With booklet. (1972)

LED 2051 Irish Music from The Favourite Jimmy Power (fiddle), Tony Ledwith (accordeon), Tom Power (guitar), Paul Gross (piano), Reg Hall (piano). (1975)

LEA 2052 Shetland Fiddlers Da Forty Fiddlers, Cullivoe Traditional Players, Tom Anderson, Aly Bain. (1974)

LED 2053 Virginia Reel Fiddle and banjo tunes played by Kyle Creed, Bobby Patterson and The Camp Creek Boys. (1974)

LEA 4054 Cecilia Costello. (1975)

LEA 4055 Old British Ballads of Donegal and Derry Traditional singers collected by Hugh Shields. With booklet. (1972)

LEE 4056 A Fine Hunting Day Songs of the Holme Valley Beagles (1975)

LEE 4057 Far Canadian Fields Companion to the Penguin Book of Canadian Folk Songs. Various artists (1975)

L** *058 Not issued

L** *059 Not issued

LED 2060 Early Recordings of Irish Traditional Dance Music John J. Kimmel: accordian (1978)

L** *061 Not issued

LEE 4062 Come Day, Go Day, God Send Sunday John Maguire (1975)

LED 2063 A Proper Sort Walter Pardon (1975)

L** *064 Not issued

LEE 4065 A People's Carol A Christmas singing tradition recorded in South Yorkshire pubs. (1975)

L** *066 Not issued

LED 2067 A Song For Every Season The Copper Family of Rottingdean, Sussex [Tracks from the 4LP set] (1971)

LED 2068 English Village Fiddler Stephen Baldwin (1976)

LEA 2069 Yorkshire Dales Dance Night The Beresford Band: Peter Beresford (electronic accordion), Mary Beresford (drums), John Wallbank (fiddle). (1979)

LED 2070 Shamrock, Rose and Thistle Eddie Butcher (1977)

LED 2071 The Rakes (1975)

LER 2072 Dick Gaughan No More Forever

LER 2073 Al O'Donnell Al O'Donnell

LER 2074 Alistair Anderson Plays English Concertina

LER 2075 Rosemary Hardman Firebird

LES 2076 The Watersons Bright Phoebus

LER 2077 Pete and Chris Coe Open The Door and Let Us In

LER 2078 Vin Garbutt The Valley Of The Tees

LER 2079 Tom Gilfellon Loving Mad Tom

LER 2080 The Taverners Blowing Sands

LER 2081 Vin Garbutt The Young Tin Whistle Pest

LER 2082 Dave Burland Dave Burland

LER 2083 Jon Raven, Nic Jones, Tony Rose Songs of a Changing World

LER 2084 Marie Little Marie Little

LER 2085 Muckram Wakes A Map of Derbyshire

LER 2086 The Boys of the Lough (1975)

LETSAM2087 Our Folk Music Heritage Various (a sampler)

LER 2088 Pal of My Cradle Days Bob Davenport, The Rakes, The Boldon Banjos. (1974)

LER 2089 Peter Bellamy Tell it like it was

LER 2090 The Boys of the Lough Second Album (1975)

LER 2091 Nic Jones The Noah's Ark Trap

LER 2092 Martyn Wyndham-Read Maypoles To Mistletoe

LER 2093 Muckram Wakes Muckram Wakes

LER 2094 Roger Nicholson, Jake Walton & Andrew Cronshaw Times & Traditions for Dulcimer

LER 2095 Down Among the Barley Straw Cyril Tawney (1976)

LER 2096 Tommy Demsey & John Swift Green Grow The Laurel

LER 2097 Bill Caddick Sunny Memories

LER 2098 Pete and Chris Coe Out of season Out of Rhyme

LER 2099 Martin Simpson Golden Vanity

LER 2100 Cilla Fisher and Artie Trezise Balcanquhal

LER 2101 Tony Rose On Banks of Green Willow

LER 2102 Vin Garbutt King Gooden

LER 2103 Dick Gaughan Kist o' Gold

LER 2104 Andrew Cronshaw Earthed In Cloud Valley

LER 2105 Fylde Acoustic Various

LER 2106 Jean Redpath There Were Minstrels

LER 2108 Peter Bond Its All Right For Some

L** 109 Not issued

L** 110 Not issued

LED 2111 Our Side of the Baulk Walter Pardon (1978)

External links

Leader Records discography - includes tracklisting for each LP