Biography

GB Leighton is the Midwest’s premier roots-rock band, playing more than 200 gigs per year and attracting hundreds of new fans with each performance.

GB Leighton is the creation of Brian Leighton Glodek, a native of Shoreview, Minnesota, whose childhood was steeped in the sounds of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. But it was Bruce Springsteen who changed his life. “I remember riding in the car with my cousin. I was about 10 years old and it was Christmas time,” Brian explains. “My cousin turned up the volumn when Springsteen’s version of ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ came on the radio. I had never heard anything like it. That was it for me – I knew that I had to become a musician.”

In those days before karaoke machines, Brian spent his spare time singing along with his favorite artists as his boombox blared thorugh the house. He picked up the family’s old acoustic guitar at age 14 then bought his first rhythm guitar, learing harmonica and joined a band as a lead vocalist. “No one else wanted to do the vocals, and my friends convinced me I should do it,” he explains. At age 18, he formed his own band and called it gb Leighton, using a turnaround of his own name.

His first release in 1994 was One Time…One Life, followed by four other albums, including the 2001 CD It’s All Good, a 12-song disc representing gb leighton’s honest, soulful, rock ‘n’ roll style. With hits such as “Most Important Night,” “Fly My Plane,” and “Country Road,” the style of It’s All Good has been compared to the likes of John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen.

The energy Brian brings to his music is reflective of his idol – Springsteen. “He’s the guy who got me going,” says Leighton. “I guess it was about the attitude of having a good time in life…and so that’s kind of what I’ve always tried to have my music be – just different aspects of life.”

Despite the band’s demanding schedule playing five nights a week during the past ten years, everyone involved in gb Leighton works and plays together. “We love the schedule, and there’s a lot of camaraderie among the band members that you don’t always see. We actually like to be around one another.” The current incarnation of the band includes:

• Luke Kramer (guitar)
• Randall Baugher (drums)
• Gary D. (keyboards)
• Jason Perri (saxophone, violin)
• Junior Flom (bass)

Their 2003 tour spans the Midwest, from small clubs and bars to larger venues, and Brian has lent solo support to national/international tours with The BoDeans, Joe Cocker, Boz Skaggs, Chuck Berry, and Johnny Lang. Brian still calls the Twin Cities home, and makes as much time as possible for his wife and young son.

The new alubm, This Life, on the Liquid 8 Records label marks a new path in gb leighton’s career, with high-energy original songs and a rousing new version of the hit song “Come and Get Your Love.” Leighton is proud of his collaboration with Bobby Z in this production. “I like to say that each album gets better, and this one is no exception. This one feels like a fresh new pair of blue jeans – you just feel good trying them on.”