Howard Leese

Howard M Leese is an American guitarist record producer and musical director who played with Heart as guitarist and keyboardist for 23 years 1975 through 1998 He continues to record and tour as a solo artist and as guitarist with The Paul Rodgers Band and Bad Company In 2013 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Heart Howard received his inspiration to pick up the guitar during the 1960s after seeing Dick Dale the guitarist in the surf band the DelTones and feeling the excitement from his playing He studied violin and music theory at the City College Los Angeles and also played in a band called The Zoo Leese had his first recording contract with Ed Cobbs Sunburst label at the age of 15 as the band The Zoo with friend and drummer Mike Flicker Later when Flicker went to work for Jack Herschorn at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver Leese went with him as a production manager While there he and Shelly Siegel started Mushroom Records It was at Mushroom Studios in 1974 that Leese helped produce a demo for Heart The next year Mushroom Records signed Heart and released the groups first album Dreamboat Annie which Flicker produced Leese was assistant producer on the album and was asked to join the band later that year He played with the band until 1998 when the Wilson sisters put the band on hiatus for several years to pursue other projects and devote more time to their personal lives Leese was Hearts guitarist backing vocalist keyboard player best known for playing the MiniMoog solo on the hit song Magic Man and song arranger Aside from the Wilson sisters Leese was the longest serving member of Heart In 1998 he joined the Paul Rodgers Band and continued to tour with them as with Bad Company As of May 2013 when not touring Howard was performing in Raiding the Rock Vault which originated at the LVH Hotel but moved to residency at Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and then to the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas