Leeroy Stagger is a Canadian

alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

singer-songwriter based in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, Alberta. He has released a number of albums of his own music, produced albums for several other musicians, and has toured around North America.

Early life

Stagger was born in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

and grew up in rural

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Career

Stagger performed in several local British Columbia bands, including the Graveyard Sluts and the Staggers. In 2002 he accompanied

Hot Hot Heat Hot Hot Heat is a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999. The band was signed by Seattle label Sub Pop in 2001 and released its first EP, ''Knock Knock Knock'', and first full-length album, '' Make Up the Break ...

and

Carolyn Mark Carolyn Natasha Mark is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. She has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the duo The Corn Sisters with American colleague Neko Case, as well as with the bands the Vinaigrettes, Jr. Gone Wild, ...

on a Canadian tour. Reinventing himself as a singer-songwriter, he released his debut independent EP, ''Six Tales of Danger'', in 2002. He now is based in

, Alberta. Stagger has gone on tour as a supporting act for

The Pixies Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. Until 2013, the band consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering ...

Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenced ...

and

Evan Dando Evan Griffith Dando (born March 4, 1967) is an American musician and frontman of the Lemonheads. He has also embarked on a solo career and collaborated on songs with various artists. In December 2015 Dando was inducted into the Boston Music Awards ...

, and has collaborated with

Danny Michel Danny Michel is a Canadian songwriter and producer. Highlights Between 2006 & 2015 Michel performed over 70 times as the musical guest on Stuart McLean's ''The Vinyl Cafe''. In 2008 "''Feather, Fur & Fin''" landed on the ''Playlist for the Pl ...

. 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."Leeroy Stagger Love Versus"
''Exclaim!'', By Kerry Doole 5 April 2017 He produced a 2017 album, ''Sleeping Buffalo'', for The Wardens. Leeroy Stagger's 11th studio recording, Love Versus, was released 7 April 2017, through

True North True north (also called geodetic north or geographic north) is the direction along Earth's surface towards the geographic North Pole or True North Pole. Geodetic north differs from ''magnetic'' north (the direction a compass points toward the ...

. 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 Paul Crispin Rigby AM (25 October 1924 – 15 November 2006) was an Australian cartoonist who worked for newspapers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He usually worked under the name Rigby. Early life Rigby was born in S ...

(Neko Case), keyboardist Geoff Hilhorst (the Deep Dark Woods), and Stagger's longtime bassist

Tyson Maiko Gob is a Canadian punk rock band from Langley, British Columbia, formed in 1993. The band consists of Tom Thacker, Theo Goutzinakis, Gabe Mantle and Steven Fairweather. They were nominated for a Juno Award for best new group in 2000, and rece ...

. The first single from Love Versus, was "I Want It All" , a meditation on being grateful for what one has. Stagger continued touring and performing songs from this album in 2018. In 2019 Stagger released the album ''Strange Path'', which included a song acknowledging the influence of

Gord Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its forma ...

. He headed out on a North American tour in support of the album." Leeroy Stagger’s ‘Strange Path’ leads him to a beautiful mess "
''Vancouver Weekly'', 19 October 2019, by Mariko Margetson

Discography

Albums

* ''Dear Love'' (2004) * '' Beautiful House'' (2005) * ''Depression River'' (2006) * ''Everything Is Real'' (2009) * ''Little Victories'' (2010) * ''Radiant Land'' (2012) * ''Truth be Sold'' (2013) * ''Dream It All Away'' (2015) * ''Love Versus'' (2017) * ''Me and the Mountain'' (2019) * ''Strange Path'' (2019)

EPs

* ''Six Tales of Danger'' (2002) * '' Tales from the Back Porch'' (2006)

Live

* ''Live at the Red River Saloon'' (2010)

References

External links

Leeroy Stagger
official site
Profile of Leeroy Stagger in HARP Magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stagger, Leeroy Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian alternative country singers Canadian rock singers Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian country singer-songwriters Musicians from Victoria, British Columbia Canadian Folk Music Award winners