Chris Leslie

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For the British Labour politician, see Christopher Leslie

Chris Leslie (b. 1956) is an English folk musician.

Leslie grew up in Banbury, Oxfordshire. As a child he won talent contests, playing on his natural cuteness at that age. His brother John steered him toward The Watersons' Frost and Fire, Dave Swarbrick, and The Corries. He started playing guitar. In 1969 he began to teach himself fiddle and modelled himself on the fiddle-playing of Dave Swarbrick of Fairport Convention, Peter Knight of Steeleye Span, and Barry Dransfield.

Leslie made his first recording at the age of 16, with a Banbury based electric folk band and then went on to forge a successful career around the folk clubs with his brother John - cutting their first album, "The Ship Of Time" in 1976. During this period he was also the fiddle player for The Hookey Band and a member of the morris dancers at Adderbury. It was around this time that he first came to the attention of Fairport's Dave Pegg. Since then he has worked with Steve Ashley, Whippersnapper, the Albion Band, All About Eve, Simon Mayor and Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull). In 1997 he joined Fairport Convention as singer and multi instumentalist. He has recorded three solo albums - The Flow, The Gift and Dancing Days (2004). At first sight Dancing Days appears to be a Fairport Convention album, as it features Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Ashley Hutchings and Ric Sanders. However, each of these artists appears only in a sequence of duos with Leslie. He has also recorded a collaboration with Ashley Hutchings - Grandson of Morris On (2004).

In 2002 Chris took part in "A Feast of Fiddles" - a collaboration with Peter Knight, Tom Leary (The Hookey Band), Ian Cutler, Phil Beer (Show of Hands) and Brian McNeill (The Battlefield Band).