Backing singers.

[danslenoir]

I've found myself listening to a lot of live stuff from the 1988 and 1992 tours recently and was wondering whether people preferred Julie Christiensen and Perla Batalla, or the current line up of the Webb Sisters and Sharon Robinson?

It's a toughie, but I think Julie and Perla just pip it for me.

[MaryB]

Julie and Perla have always been my favorites. I've always felt that visually the connection they had with LC was positively electric! They understood every word that LC pours into his music. They felt it in every cell of their bodies. The body language and facial expressions, intensified when LC moved toward them, made for the most sensual on-stage performances I have ever seen.
They so understood what LC was giving us, yet they were also in their own euphoric world when performing the magic of these songs.

That said, I recently listened to a gifted (thank you again Box_of_Rain!) CD of the Paris concert. What I discovered was the fact that without the visuals, the Webb Sisters harmories and the ethereal voice of Sharon Robinson were absolutely the best choices for this tour. But, I can't help but wonder how it would have been if Julie and Perla were on stage .

[Evie B]

Julie and Perla were certainly very special alongside Leonard, they were with him for quite some time.

Of course, Sharon Robinson has been around even longer, she - alongside Jennifer Warnes - was with him on the Field Commander Cohen Tour in 1979 (I especially like their bell-like harmonies on 'The Window' included in the cd). Through the years she has collaborated with him in writing and recording, as well as being on this tour. I read somewhere that she was the person who suggested The Webb Sisters be auditioned when the band was being put together for this tour. She is a very talented lady with a quite outstanding soulfull voice.

He certainly knows how to pick 'em, doesn't he?

[tomsakic]

According to Sharon, she was involved in writing some songs for the Webb Sisters few years back, but it didn't work out. In any case she noticed their voices and talent, kept their contact, and when Leonard couldn't find new singers after auditions (we recall that, he had the band, didn't have the singers), Sharon knew whom to call.

[bridger15]

According to Sharon, she was involved in writing some songs for the Webb Sisters few years back, but it didn't work out. In any case she noticed their voices and talent, kept their contact, and when Leonard couldn't find new singers after auditions (we recall that, he had the band, didn't have the singers), Sharon knew whom to call.

http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/leonard_co ... ures/12447

UNCUT: When were you approached about the tour?

HATTIE: We were in Los Angeles, and a friend of ours, Sharon Robinson, who we’d written with a year before, emailed us and said Leonard was looking for people to join the band, and she’d recommended us. We went down to the rehearsals mid-March. Leonard wasn’t there. We met all the band, and Roscoe, and sang a couple of our songs, and Roscoe gave us a couple of Leonard’s to work on. Then we went back the next day and met Leonard and sang them with Leonard and the band. And we went back the next day and were asked to join the band.

They’d been looking for people, one by one, to join the band, since Christmas. It sounds like Roscoe and Leonard had talked almost a year previously about possibly doing a tour; obviously they’ve got a relationship going back decades. They’d thrown around ideas of people Leonard had played with before, but he wanted something fresh in the vocals. Leonard did say to us since that there’s something about the flavour of artists playing together that is a fantastic vibe. I was touched that he seemed to have noticed the songs that we’d written.

[Evie B]

Okay, thanks Bridger/Tom. I knew there was a connection between Sharon and The Webb Sisters but wasn't sure of the full story. Thanks for the correct information.

Evie B