Blog – Grid 2

PITTSBURGH — Their previous Pittsburgh performances in six different decades by all accounts achieved greatness, so why would decade number seven bring anything different? Indeed, the Rolling Stones’ return to Heinz Field on Monday found the long-touted World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band doing what it’s always done; performing at an exceptional level, and with enthusiasm, drawing from a song catalog as classic as it gets.  Mick Jagger […]

Chuck Leavell is a pianist and keyboard player whose career has included tenures as a member of the Allman Brothers Band and Sea Level and as a backup musician for many other acts, among them Dr. John, the Rolling Stones, George Harrison, and Eric Clapton. He is also a Georgia timber farmer and environmental activist. In 2004 he was […]

Due to a strange series of events, David Peck says he owes his career to The Rolling Stones and drummer Charlie Watts, who died Tuesday at age 80. They first met backstage at the memorable Rolling Stones concert at Jack Murphy Stadium on Feb. 3, 1998. Peck was sitting in the third row when a […]

“Just like I consider myself a student of the piano, I consider myself a student of the environment and of forestry in particular,” observes Chuck Leavell, who is the subject of the new documentary film, The Tree-Man. The title originates from Leavell’s stewardship of over 2,500 acres of land at his Charlane Plantation in Twiggs County, Ga. […]

For this month’s Ask Chuck column, a reader asks: How does rock ‘n’ roll address and play a future role in inspiring environmental activism in the current and next generation? You know, when you think about it, there are quite a lot of musicians, actors, and other entertainers who have some kind of active role concerning […]

Chuck Leavell’s piano playing is as expressive and lyrical as rock & roll keyboards get. Anyone who’s heard him perform at Rolling Stones concerts, on ‘70s Allman Brothers instrumental track “Jessica,” the “Unplugged” version of Eric Clapton’s “Old Love” or latter day Stones studio gems like “Out of Tears” knows that. Leavell’s tribute to Charlie Watts is […]