Biography
A Native American girl flees dejection and alcoholism on the rez only to disappear along the highways of rural Manitoba. Desperate for cash, a war orphan turns to bank robbery and finds himself mercilessly holed up in prison. These tales could easily be found in the pages of literary fiction, or captured on the celluloid of indie cinema. In reality, they are songs.
Introducing Lee Mellor…
twenty-five years old and slowly garnering attention as one of Canada’s most underrated songwriters. In 2008 he was voted third best singer-songwriter in Montreal just behind Leonard Cohen and Rufus Wainwright. His words have been compared to the celebrated Canadian author Timothy Findlay, his songwriting and delivery to such greats as Steve Earle, Dylan and Stan Rogers. He has been praised by Canadian country legends Prairie Oyster while his debut album Ghost Town Heart (2007) has been called “brilliant”, “detail-rich” and “in your face.”
Born in England’s industrial north-west, Mellor’s first impressions of the world were smoke-stacks, rain and the stench from the local animal incinerator. By the late eighties the Mellor family left the smoggy Merseyside to settle half an hour east of Toronto in the subdivisions and farmland of Bowmanville, Ontario. Discovering rock music at the age of thirteen Mellor immediately began to write songs, and by graduation began to delve into poetry, folk and country music. Encouraged by the reaction to his music, he moved to Montreal were he spent the next two years cutting his teeth. Seeing the potential to catapult onto the global stage, Mellor swore to expend as much money and effort as necessary to craft the perfect debut album.
In August of 2007 his task was complete. Released independently, Ghost Town Heart met with warm critical and popular reception particularly among students, blue-collar workers and folkies. No stranger to live performance, Mellor has played numerous music festivals including Canadian Music Week and Summerfolk and has been interviewed on Sun TV, CBC Radio and various newspaper publications in Montreal and south-western Ontario. He is also garnering press attention and radio play in England, Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands and Texas. In the words of CBC radio’s Jacquie Czernin, Lee Mellor is one Canadian artist who is “going far!”
Notable quotes about Mellor and his work:
"...how does a 25-year-old kid craft the finest alt-country album of the year?" - Bob Klanac, Scene Magazine
"...the stuff of South Ontario Gothic literature from the likes of the late Timothy Findlay. All played by a band of mudhounds that would make Blue Rodeo green...Mellor sets his own gold and silver standard for anyone who hangs words on a string." - Will McGuirk, Oshawa This Week
“Mellor has defied the odds with this gritty and convincing debut release…word is spreading here…” – Kerry Doole, Exclaim Magazine
"Lee Mellor returns the lyric to music, the crafted phrase, the arresting image, a cool shift to the language, in songs that dance with the road, the dust, the tumult of living. This is a fine sound and a songwriter to be sought out and listened to." - Trevor Ferguson, Award Winning Novelist and Playwright
"This promising debut from a Montreal based singer-songwriter includes in-your-face country-rockers and twangy, detail-rich story-telling songs." - Mike Regenstreif, The Montreal Gazette
"masterful...Mellor sparkles pure poetry...in a few years this boy will be standing among the very greatest" - Rootstime
“…a first class story teller who writes words that immediately come to life. Even if you just read them, they sound like music. … Mellor writes golden verses” – John Gjaltema,
Alt Country Netherlands
"...one of Canada’s most interesting roots/country singer-songwriters" - Rock N Reel (UK)
"That (Mellor's "Gravedigger Blues") was a great song!" - Russell deCarle, Juno award winning lead singer/bassist of Prairie Oyster.
"a staple in Montreal’s bluegrass scene...Mellor has strived to redefine the genre by employing themes and images from the past and relating them to issues of the present." - Greg Hoekstra, Soulshine Magazine
"You are going far!" - Jacquie Czernin on CBC radio Breakaway
"Lee Mellor and The Mudhounds and the United Steel Workers of Montreal, two of the most recognizable bands in the city’s bluegrass scene..." Julia Gerke, The Suburban
"...a great concoction..." Lorraine Carpenter, Montreal Mirror
"I love it!" Gerry Goodfriend, CKUT
"A tremendously talented young songwriter" - Mitch Melnick, Team 990 Radio.
"...a really great, well-written album!" Steve Meyers, Radio Free Montreal
"...honest, truthful and cleverly written...Mellor is a hard core troubadour with a heart of country-rock-gold." - www.hanx.net
Instrumentation
Lee Mellor - Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
Christopher Pennington - Backing vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Clifford Schwartz - Electric bass
Mario Latreille - Drums and Percussion
Discography
Ghost Town Heart (2007) includes the songs:
Liberty Street (has radio play)
The Greatest Killer in a Small Town (has radio play)
Nowhere, Manitoba (has radio play)
Gravedigger Blues (has radio play)
Girl on the Highway (has radio play)
Ain't No Whiskey (has radio play)
St. Lawrence River
Bar Mirror (has radio play)
Big Rusty Hammer (has radio play)
Tumbleweed (has radio play)
Jessie Hynes (has radio play)
Blow My Heart Out of the Night (has radio play)
Links
| http://www.leemellor.com |