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Leeroy Stagger

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Leeroy Stagger
Birth nameLee John Thomas Starck[1]
OriginVictoria, British Columbia, Canada
GenresAlternative country
Rock
Occupationsinger/songwriter
Years active1998–present
LabelsTrue North
Websiteleeroystagger.com

Lee John Thomas Starck, better known by his stage name Leeroy Stagger, is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter based in Victoria, British Columbia.[2][3] He has released a number of albums of his own music, produced albums for several other musicians including Mariel Buckley, Tim Easton, Dennis Ellsworth and has toured around North America and Europe with Artists such as Steve Earle, Josh Ritter, Buffy Sainte Marie and Frazey Ford, The Pixies, Modest Mouse and Evan Dando, and has collaborated with Danny Michel.

He was signed with industry mogul Danny Goldberg's label Gold Lake for two albums before signing with Canadian label True North Records joining a celebrated roster with the likes of Bruce Cockburn and more.

Early life

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Stagger was born in Victoria, British Columbia and grew up in rural British Columbia.[4]

Career

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Stagger performed in several local Punk Bands.[5] In 2002 he accompanied Hot Hot Heat on a Canadian tour.[5] Reinventing himself as a singer-songwriter, he released his debut independent EP, Six Tales of Danger, in 2002.

He spent 15 years in Lethbridge, Alberta but moved back with his family to his hometown of Victoria in 2020.


In 2015 Stagger won the top prize at the Alberta Peak Performance Project competition, and used the money to develop a home studio in Lethbridge.[6][7] He produced a 2017 album, Sleeping Buffalo, for The Wardens.[8]

Leeroy Stagger's 11th studio recording, Love Versus, was released 7 April 2017, through True North.[6] The album was produced by Colin Stewart (Dan Mangan, Black Mountain, Yukon Blonde), and includes performances from drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello), guitarist Paul Rigby (Neko Case), keyboardist Geoff Hilhorst (the Deep Dark Woods), and Stagger's longtime bassist Tyson Maiko.[2]

The first single from Love Versus, was "I Want It All" , a meditation on being grateful for what one has.[9][10] Stagger continued touring and performing songs from this album in 2018.[11]

In 2019 Stagger released the album Strange Path, which included a song acknowledging the influence of Gord Downie.[12] He headed out on a North American tour in support of the album.[13]

Personal Life

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Leeroy is married to longtime Partner, designer Coby Starck, They have two children together.

Discography

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Albums

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  • Dear Love (2004)
  • Beautiful House (2005)
  • Depression River (2006)[5][14]
  • Everything Is Real (2009)
  • Little Victories (2010)
  • Radiant Land (2012)
  • Truth be Sold (2013)
  • Dream It All Away (2015)
  • Love Versus (2017)[2]
  • Me and the Mountain (2019)
  • Strange Path (2019)
  • Dystopian Weekends (2021)

EPs

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Live

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  • Live at the Red River Saloon (2010)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "CAROL". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Calum Slingerland (16 February 2017). "Leeroy Stagger Signs to True North Records for 'Love Versus'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  3. ^ Lee, Jeffry (March 2005). "Leeroy Stagger » island boy goes from punk rock to productivity". BeatRoute Magazine. Calgary. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  4. ^ "Scene and Heard: A blissed-out Leeroy Stagger is Island-bound". Mike Devlin , Times Colonist, 16 April 2017
  5. ^ a b c Greene, Jo-Ann. "Depression River". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Leeroy Stagger Love Versus". Exclaim!, By Kerry Doole 5 April 2017
  7. ^ "Top Alberta albums of 2017, from the Key of A's Katherine Duncan". CBC News, Katherine Duncan, 30 December 2017
  8. ^ "Wardens set to release album into the wild". Rocky Mountain Outlook, 2 April 2017
  9. ^ Jenna Melanson (2 March 2017). "Leeroy Stagger releases video for "I Want It All"". canadianbeats.ca. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Album review: Leeroy Stagger writes and plays with sure footing". Edmonton JOurnal, Fish Griwkowsky, 8 April 2017
  11. ^ "The Dead South / Leeroy Stagger Capital Ballroom, Victoria BC, October 3". Exclaim!, By Alan Ranta, 4 October 2018
  12. ^ "New music – Reviews of this week's CD releases". Winnipeg Free Press, 22 August 2019
  13. ^ " Leeroy Stagger’s ‘Strange Path’ leads him to a beautiful mess ". Vancouver Weekly, 19 October 2019, by Mariko Margetson
  14. ^ "Leeroy Stagger and The Sinking Hearts – "Depression River" (Boompa Records, Sept. 19)". songsillinois.net. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
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