Dave Cairns (vocals, drums)
Joe Agnello (bass)
Newton Garwood (keyboards)
Gord Waszek (guitar)
Wally Cameron (drums; replaced Cairns)
Lance Wright (drums; replaced Cameron)
Craig Kaleal (drums; replaced Wright)
Buzz Shearman (vocals; replaced Cairns)
Bruno Weckerle (organ; replaced Garwood)
Don Elliott (bass; replaced Agnello)
Doni Underhill (bass; replaced Elliot)
Earl Johnson (guitar)
Terry Juric (bass)
Bill Wade (drums)

Leigh Ashford founders Waszek and Agnello knew each other as members of G.W. And The Demons at Riverdale High School in Toronto along with drummer Don Nolan and vocalist Allen Ashby. Waszek was well known around the area as a great guitarist and would teach a young kid named Hughie Leggat (Lords of London/A Foot In Coldwater) how to play.

Fresh out of high school Agnello joined The Ambassadors and Waszek joined the Lee Ashford Blues Band. When the Lee Ashford Blues Band folded Waszek and keyboardist Newton Garwood joined Agnello and new drummer David Cairns (Tom And Ian And The Soul Set) as sidemen for The Spirit Revue.

By early 1967 the four had grown tired of the suits and the restricting etiquette of the Spirit Revue and revived the name Lee Ashford as Leigh Ashford complete with a fictitious biography that painted Ashford as a turn of the century prostitute.

After playing around the growing Toronto rock scene for two years Guess Who producer Jack Richardson signed the act to his own Nimbus 9 Records.

Studio session were initiated for an album but collapsed when Cairns took ill. He was replaced in the studio for the bed-tracks by Wally Cameron (A Passing Fancy) and one useable track resulted in the long forgotten single "Country Place".

An attempt to get Cairns back on track faltered and Lance Wright (Terry & The Pyrates) filled in on drums until permanent replacement Craig Kaleal (Witness Inc.) was enlisted. A new vocalist, Buzz Shearman (Shearman & Peabody), was brought in to give the act a harder edge.

With a release from their Nimbus 9 deal, the band kept busy in the clubs, and occasional studio work, and as 1970 wore on, Garwood was replaced by Bruno Weckerle on keyboards.

In 1971, Mort Ross' Revolver Records soon picked up the band and sent them into a New York Studio to produce the 'Kinfolk' album. While in New York, Leigh Ashford would do opening slots for The Who (at The Rockpile) and Vanilla Fudge.

The album's first single, "Dickens", began gaining attention and upon returning to Canada they performed at the Strawberry Fields Festival in Mosport, Ontario. But, typical creative differences broke the band up by 1972.

Waszek continued to work for Mort Ross and Revolver Records as Ross' cash cow, Motherlode, was refit for a third incarnation headed by Waszek and featuring ex-Chimo! vocalist Breen LeBoeuf, future Triumph bassist Mike Levine and former Leigh Ashford bandmates Wally Cameron and Newton Garwood.

After one failed Motherlode single, Waszek revived Leigh Ashford with Buzz Shearman, Cameron, Garwood and bassist Don Elliott (ex-Mandala).

Mort Ross had another subsidiary label on the go, Hopi, and grabbed Leigh Ashford for one under-achieving single of Waszek originals - "Workin' All Day" b/w "The Country's Got A Soul Of Its Own". With the departure of Elliott (with Doni Underhill taking over), the Leigh Ashford name was retired and they became Burgundy before, it too failed to chart a single.

At this point Waszek and Underhill decided to jump ship for the more affluent Fludd in 1974.

Buzz Shearman kept the band and its name going for another two years before finally evolving into the hit recording act Moxy and helping future metal chanteuse Lee Aaron launch her solo career. Shearman would die tragically in a motorcycle accident in the early '80's; Agnello continued on as bassist for many showcase R & B acts around Toronto including Chuck Jackson; Underhill would eventually leave Fludd to reform the band Fingers with Waszek before moving on to stint with Trooper; Elliott went on to be an audio technician and cameraman; Waszek, meanwhile, did session work with the likes of Triumph (on "Just A Game") and would spend a good part of the late '80's with Bobby Dupont and in the '90's as alternate lead guitar with Eagles tribute band Desperado which featured former members of Refugee. He is now a fully retired postal worker living in the USA.

Bruce Weckerle died July 10, 2004 of complications from a stroke in 2003; Newton Garwood, who had worked for years at Long & McQuade music store's head office in Toronto, died of cancer November 4, 2005.

with notes from Gary 17, Bill Munson, Mary Weckerle, and Sebastian Agnello.


Singles
1970 Country Place (Nimbus 9) 75-1026
1971 Dickens/Lee Oompa Kum Pah Pah (Revolver) REVS-010
1971 Dickens/Lee Oompa Kum Pah Pah (Revolver/RCA/Victor) 75-1040
1971 Never Give Myself/Country Country (Revolver/RCA/Victor) 75-1054
1971 Good Day/Never Give Myself (Revolver/RCA - US) 74-0526
1972 Workin' All Day/The Country's Got A Soul All Its Own (Hopi) PI-1001

Albums
1971 Kinfolk (Revolver/RCA) LSP-4520


Video


Collaboration Tracks
with SEBASTIAN AGNELLO
1970 'Sebastian' [Leigh Ashford appears on "Jimmy, Janis and Alan"]


Compilation Tracks
1971 "Workin' All Day" on 'Concept' (ARC) - compilation