Groove Podcast: Leo Lyons of Ten Years After
Leo Lyons has lived multiple musical lives… and somehow, they all trace back to a moment when the bass wasn’t even fully defined yet.
Best known as the bassist and co-founder of Ten Years After, Leo helped shape a sound that bridged blues, jazz, and the emerging language of rock… long before genres were neatly categorized. But what makes his story so compelling isn’t just the legacy… it’s the mindset.
In this conversation, Leo takes us back to a time when electric basses were rare, when you might lose your chance to buy one simply because there was only a single instrument in the shop, and when learning meant hearing a song once on the radio and figuring it out by instinct. He talks about moving from guitar to bass almost by accident, chasing the tone of upright players like Bill Black, and discovering his voice by pushing the amplifier as much as the instrument itself.
As the story unfolds, you realize Leo wasn’t just present at the birth of modern rock… he was inside it, watching it form in real time alongside bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, all building something new in parallel without a roadmap.
There’s incredible texture here too… stories of trading a Fender Precision for a now-legendary Jazz Bass (once played by Jimi Hendrix), navigating the slow grind before success, and experiencing moments like Woodstock not as mythology, but as just another gig that happened to become history.
Beyond the stage, Leo’s career expanded into production, working with artists like UFO and Motörhead, always chasing songs, riffs and arrangements that felt honest and immediate. What stands out most is his philosophy… that the bass isn’t just about holding things down, but about pushing the band forward, adding melody, tension, and lift.
Even now, reflecting on decades of music, Leo speaks with the curiosity of someone still chasing the next idea, still listening, still trying to get better.
This conversation isn’t just a look back at a legendary career… it’s a reminder that some of the most important musical innovations didn’t come from theory or training, but from instinct, experimentation, and a willingness to step into the unknown even as Ten Years After reissues their legendary 1969 album, Ssssh.
Enjoy the conversation…
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