Leon and the Revival

Leon and the Revival emerged in 2015 when members of established Denver bands Reverend Leon’s Revival and The Royal began to collaborate on a new project that showcased the members’ shared love of classic soul and R&B music from the 1960s and 70s. Influenced by Otis Redding, Van Morrison, Darondo, Solomon Burke, Ann Peebles, Rateliff and the boys, and James Brown. The Revival fuse multiple musical styles into a high-energy, deeply satisfying live musical experience.

A veteran band before their first performance, members of the group have performed at South by Southwest, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver’s Underground Music Showcase, Hi Dive, Lion's Lair, The Gothic, and several Denver basements. Although the band’s sound is firmly rooted in traditional soul music, Leon and the Revival infuse their songs with modern touches: driving guitar and keyboard work and melodic, effects-laden basslines.

Frontman Paul Leon Ramsey describes his inspiration for the Revival's live shows: "When I was a kid, my dad's cousin told me that when my dad was a teenager, he used to sneak out of the house on Friday nights to sing at the juke joint on the outskirts of town. As he told me the story, I watched my father blush (for the first and only time). That secret still ignites my imagination. Our shows are an interpretation of what the juke joint out on the country roads of Sherman, Texas might have been; the image of folks dancing and giving themselves over to the music just enough to make them blush and grin decades later."