Lafayette Leake born 1 June 1919

Lafayette Leake (June 1, 1919– August 14, 1990) was an American blues and jazz pianist, organist, vocalist and composer who played for Chess Records as a session musician, and as a member of the Big Three Trio.

Leake was born in Winona, Mississippi, in 1919. Information about his early years is sparse, but he was a desperately shy man, but a natural piano player at home, with a vast range of music from classical to blues. He seems to have had formal training at some point and was proud of his ability to play Chopin, and would notate his friend Little Brother Montgomery's playing by ear. His range and his ability to replicate the work of other players, coupled with his powerful technique, made him stand out in the Chicago blues scene of the early '50s -- he became friends with Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston of the Big Three Trio, and was chosen as his successor when the latter's marital problems forced him to leave the group. Although Leake never recorded with that group, his enduring friendship with Willie Dixon, his reliability and his good taste made him a session mainstay, who recorded with all the major stars of Chicago blues.

                    Here's Slow Leake (1957) from above album

                                  

And when group leader Willie Dixon became a songwriter and resident producer at Chess Records, Leake came along, playing on a lot of the sessions that Dixon produced, and a lot more besides. Leake played piano on One Dozen Berrys, Chuck Berry's second album, released in 1958 by Chess. He was then on Berry Is on Top; Leake played the prominent piano on the classic original rendition of "Johnny B. Goode", as well as "Rock and Roll Music". Leake played on numerous other Chess sessions from the 1950s through the 1970s, backing many Chess musicians, including Howlin' Wolf, Billy Boy Arnold, Otis Rush, Junior Wells, Little Walter, Homesick James, Sonny Boy Williamson, Buddy Guy, and Taylor, to name but a few. Leake gave Chicago blues musician Harmonica Hinds his first harmonica lesson on the street in Toronto, Ontario.

During the 1960s, Willie Dixon formed the Chicago Blues All-Stars, with Leake as resident pianist. Leake toured and recorded with this group that featured at many Blues Festivals, at home and overseas until the mid-1970s. After that he did little recording or touring, although he appeared with Berry at the Chicago Blues Festival in 1986, and recorded "Hidden Charms" with Dixon in 1988. Besides being a respected performer, Leake was a composer. He recorded a number of his own songs as a member of various ensembles, and others have been covered by notable musicians. Fleetwood Mac, for example, recorded his song "Love That Woman" on their album The Original Fleetwood Mac. Leake's song "Wrinkles", performed by the Big Three Trio, was featured on the soundtrack of David Lynch's 1990 film, Wild at Heart. Blues band Slo Leak was named after one of Leake's instrumental pieces.

But for all of his talent and dexterity, Leake's shyness prevented him from exploiting his talent into stardom in his own right until very late in his career. Apart from some 1960s sessions with producer E. Rodney Jones, which yielded some not easily available music, it wasn't until the 1970s that Leake was recorded leading his own band. These were done for the French Black and Blue label, and have since been reissued on CD. Leake remained a ubiquitous presence in the credits of numerous CD reissues, especially in rock & roll and blues.

During the 70s, Lafayette stepped back from the spotlight a little, playing mainly in Chicago clubs, but his reputation and talent meant he was always a welcome guest on special occasions, like Chuck Berry’s 1986 Chicago Blues Festival show, and with Willie Dixon at the White House in 1989. Sadly, that was one of Lafayette’s last appearances.

Leake fell into a diabetic coma in his home in Chicago, where he remained undiscovered for several days, dying in hospital on August 14, 1990, at the age of 71.He remains one of the most enigmatic names on the Chess Records roster. In 2015 the Killer Blues Headstone Project placed a headstone for Lafayette Leake at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois.

(Edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)

Here's a video of a discussion and musical performance with blues musicians Lafayette Leake and Queen Sylvia Embry. Recorded on March 21, 1983.(Fast Forward to 0:28 for start)