Leroy Preston With Friends From The Unknown Blues Band Perform At The Vergennes Opera House In October

On Saturday, October 12, the Vergennes Opera House will be hosting Western Swing and Country music veteran, Leroy Preston, as he debuts his new collection of songs.

The fact that Leroy Preston lives right here in Waltham, VT is pretty special, but not as impressive as the long list of songs he has penned and performed over his decades-long career. Leroy Preston’s song credits are filled with familiar songs covered by his band Asleep at the Wheel and other notable artists such as Rosanne Cash (“My Baby Thinks He’s a Train”), k.d. Lang (“Full Moon Full of Love”), Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Los Lobos, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ruth Brown, Maria Muldaur, and the Cate Brothers. 

In 2023, Leroy Preston enlisted the services of Unknown Blues Band veterans, Chas Eller (also in Waltham), Paul Asbell, and Clyde Stats, as well as drummer Jeff Salisbury of Bob Stannard and those Dangerous Bluesmen, to record a new collection of songs that Leroy had written. The band went into Lane Gibson’s Charlotte, VT studio and recorded what Leroy is calling, “a songwriter’s album”—an album that is performed by the songwriter himself. While it is likely that other artists may want to cover these new tunes, this show is an opportunity to hear the music the way the writer intended. In addition to an already top-notch band, the show will feature outstanding guest horn player Michael Zsoldis, as well as the wonderful Vermont-based female vocalist, Taryn Noelle, a Western Swing Female Vocalist of the Year (2019), who will perform some of Leroy’s early hits covered by women artists.

Leroy will present this show to help raise funds for the All Access Project slated to break ground in February 2025. 

“I am very much looking forward to presenting this new slate of songs in the historic Vergennes Opera House,” said Preston. “I’ve lived here for twenty-five years and I’m looking forward to performing locally for neighbors, friends, and family while helping to raise funds for the theater’s All Access Project.”

Leroy’s new music is a departure from the Western Swing and Country sounds from his Asleep at the Wheel days, but Leroy the Storyteller is very much present. On the new release, Leroy is accompanied by members of the renowned Unknown Blues Band who definitively interpret the tone and mood of each tune. This new collection of songs gently cross over many genres including swing, jazz, blues, soul, and yes, a little bit of country. This is a refreshing and exciting set of original songs that will no doubt find their way into the mainstream by other artists. For now, though, this collection gives the listener a rare treat of sophisticated original music sung the way the artist imagined.

TICKETS to this very special event and evening are $25 in advance online and $30 at the door. Doors and cash bar open at 6:30pm. Show starts at 7:30pm. General seating.

Photo credit: Caleb Kenna

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