Christine grew up along the St. Lawrence River with her musical Québecois and English family.
She began to whistle when she was 10 months old and her sister whistled at 11 months.
Then she started singing her songs to the dog.
At 10 years of age, she was sent to a convent to take piano, recorder and ukulele lessons from a belching nun.
Having taught herself guitar in the mid 1990's, she has since written more than 200 songs in a wide variety of styles and is currently in the studio recording a bunch more. Enjoy the tunes and check back for you never know what song Christine may post next!
Watch this 1997 Christine Leakey performance with Zoltan Rozsnyai accompanying C at Five Seventeen's Toronto art opening.
FEATURE SONGS PLAYING (written, performed and produced by Christine)
Miss Betty Grable music written: 1997~2008; lyrics written: 2008; recorded: 2008 Miss Betty Grable is a song that has taken longer to write than any other tune Christine has written thus far. The intro is a mantra Christine has been playing for more than ten years. Over time, this mantra matured into a complete song and the song inspired mysterious lyrics creating a tasteful and ripe blend of sound. Christine is playing all the instruments, as well she is singing all of the vocals on this recording.
Instrumental 001 written: 1997; recorded: 1998 Christine, guitar and arrangement; Kenji Fuse, viola; Liz Johnston, violin; Name Unknown (a red haired fellow from New Zealand playing a Galiano and apparently from a well known NYC chamber quartet - please inform if you know this person), cello. Christine was inspired to write pieces such as this, while she played music with Zoltan Rozsnyai who accompanied her music and exposed her to his soulful renditions of Bach, Shostakovich, Shubert, Tchaikovsky and Zoltan Kodaly. Christine was drawn to the passion and psychedelic nature of this music. Other classical players began to accompany Christine's music and also featured her at their chamber concert performances.
Penitentiary Scram and Double Agent Go Gowritten: 1995; recorded: 1996 Christine is playing all of the instruments and added two background audio clips, one she made and the other is a sample of her family doing their nightly jam around a fire back in 1976 (the loud voice singing, "He thinks I still care", is Christine's mom and the voice with the smokers cough is her late Uncle John who died in May from emphysema). ~ So there it is, C's music can be many different things including bizarro! tee hee hee!! ;)
Kissy~Poo written: 1996; live show: 1999 This performance is from a cluster of shows C performed at The Cameron House under various guises of Christine Leakey & Her Extra Fancy Band. This song was written alone in bed while suffering a broken heart... we've all been there! Accompanying Christine and her guitar are Jon McCann on drums, Elizabeth Johnston on violin, Reuven Rothman on double bass and Tommy "Trumpet" Bieberman on trumpet.
Potato Prince and Love Sick 3written: 1995; live show: 1996 Even though Christine does have some demo studio recordings of these tracks, today she feels more partial to this live performance from when she had a dreadful cold and flu. The show was performed at The Gown and accompanying C are Ken Baird and some guy named Steve who joined spontaneously from the audience on drums. Twas a splendid evening, oh Christine was so young and innocent, compared to the current day Christine who is a bitter crotchety old hen!! HAHAHAHAHA kidding...
Row (Your Ondine Boat) Original Score to the award winning independent 2006 documentary, Beyond the Horizon written: 2005; recorded: 2006, Christine, all vocals, guitars, percussion; Darriel Arlinott, mandolin; Mark Duggan, tambourine and synth strings (Christine designed and developed his website a few years ago-listen to his song samples there, he's amazing!) This is the first solo piece that Christine wrote to accompany another person's lyrics and is quite different from her other music. Helga Wafaei wrote the lyrics and Christine edited them to fit the song. The song was written for Helga's daughter, son-in-law, and Christine's friends, Julie (Wafaei) Angus and Colin Angus who in May of 2006, became the first to ever circumnavigate the globe only using human power. (expeditioncanada.comangusadventures.com) The song is a bit Canadiana with deep sentiment depicting a most grueling journey ever which proudly is a Canadian first.
Highlights from the film, Beyond the Horizon
Black Coffee A 1999 live performance of Christine Leakey & Her Extra Fancy Band performing their rendition of the 1948 Sonny Burke and Paul Francis Webster song. During this particular gig, she had a bad cold and in between songs polished off a bottle of honey which enabled her to sing. Christine has had a life long love for jazz and lounge crooners thanks to hearing her mom sing so many since birth. :) Backing Christine are Tommy "Trumpet" Bieberman on trumpet, Jef McLarnen on guitar, Jon McCann on drums, Elizabeth Johnston on violin, Ian McIntyre on double bass.
Right On Hot Pantswritten in 1995; recorded in 2005 This is a tune Christine wrote at the tail end of The Double Feature Creatures era. She used to play it in her second formed band, Tijuana Kneivel. In this recording C is playing bass, guitar and percussive instruments with Sean Hanneson on drums and Ken Baird keyboards. Christine also invited Rosemary to sing harmonies since the song was originally intended to be performed with The Double Feature Creatures. Christine recorded this song for the 2005 release: The Double Feature Creatures, Return!. To make room for Miss Betty Grable, Right On Hot Pants was removed but is available for purchase on iTunes, listed under The Double Feature Creatures Return! album.
People Eating Peoplewritten by Cadillac Bill; recorded in 1996 In 1996, Christine joined Cadillac Bill & The Creeping Bent as the backing vocalist after her own garage bands fell apart. This song was the only piece Bill wrote giving Christine a chance to sing some verses and was a favourite to many who came out to the shows on tours. Christine, being a vegetarian, would often get teased by the band for singing such a song! In early '97, Christine eventually left the band to focus on her own music again.
PREVIOUS SOLO PROJECTS
1994 to 1997 - Christine played many solo shows alone, or with various musicians in her circle of artists and musicians. During this time Christine also went in the studio and recorded some of her music that is yet to be heard. She shared the stage with many artists who later became quite successful. Christine also had the pleasure of opening up for Iggy Pop and the late Junior Kimbrough at the Detroit State Theatre in 1996, singing a short a capella set. She was invited to do this show by her friends who were also on the bill, The Demolition Doll Rods.
1997 to 1999 - Christine Leakey and Her Extra Fancy Band and sometimes called Christine 16, featured Christine's originals and some old ballad standards from the first half of the 20th century. The musicians varied from various professional classical and jazz players. Graciously, Kenji Fusé (Victoria Symphony), Zoltan Rozsnyai (Vancouver Symphony), Liz Johnston (Canadian Opera Company), Reuven Rothman (plays in various symphonies), Ian McIntyre, were among some that accompanied Christine’s music at small venues and chamber concerts.
OTHER MUSIC PROJECTS
2008 - Fernando Perdomo, Dreaming In Stereo project: Christine collaborated lyrically as well as vocally with Fernando on Part of Your Life, an upcoming release by Dreaming In Stereo.
2007 - Mark Wirtz presents, Cooking For Cannibals project: Christine co-wrote 2 songs with Mark Wirtz in 2007, for the upcoming Mark Wirtz production. Christine will also be featured singing on this album when it happens. This project is completely separate from Christine's current recording project.
1993 - Lightly Toasted Jazz band featuring Christine singing a few jazz standards at poetry readings
1994 to 1995 - The Double Feature CreaturesThe Double Feature Creatures on myspace This was the first band Christine formed and wrote the music for, while just learning to play guitar. She put out several releases including vinyl and a recent full length CD on Teen Sound in Italy, celebrating this exciting and short lived band.
1995 to 1996 - Tijuana KnievelTijuana Knievel was a Garage Psych-Rock band featuring Christine's originals and 1 or 2 covers, with guitar, organ, trumpet, bass, and drums. This band played several venues in Hamilton, Toronto and Detroit. The band’s only stamp in history are live tape recordings.
1999 - The Pin-Ups! Christine did some vocal work on their "B Movie Drive In" release for this now split Toronto garage band that featured 4 guys with gold lame jackets, gold glitter instruments and 3D glasses.
Hi Christine, thanks for dropping by! I'm fine thank you. Just finishing off the last track on the second album. Then need to master everything and get it ready for release.
We've got a new kitten called "Ruskin", after John Ruskin of course. Actually he is now between a kitten and a cat, but I don't know what that is called. He's a bit naughty though.
HEYlo! Haha taken me like forever to reply to your Reindeer Christmas Video! Haha, yup, you are on it! That's my amusing Christmas Story. Funnily enough, the video clip you sent, is from the same documentary i saw it in few years ago. Oooooooh Great Profile pic!
Christine! Nice to hear from you - hope things are BEAUTIFUL for you in every sense of the word!!! Thanks so much for your kind comment on,"Never Know",too.......!!!!OXOXOXOXOXOThe Shangs
HAHAHAHA!! Has to be one of the Greatest friend request opening comments ever:) Yay! Here's to Popcorn! Nice to meet you Christine. Hope you are not expecting more Amazing History blurts...i have about 1 more, haha relating to Xmas. Funkatron D, aka - DeBBiE X
Hi Christine, there was some film taken, but it is waiting to be edited. I will put links to it when it's there. A bit was put up on youtube, but I wasn't happy with it so hopefully it has been taken off..
Online Now!
