⬇️ CALVIN LEAVY ⬇️
(Calvin James Leavy)
(6CD)
Later in his life, Leavy became the first person indicted under the
1988 drug kingpin law. He died in prison.
Calvin James Leavy was born in Scott, Pulaski County, Arkansas, the
youngest son of fifteen children. As a child he sang in his church
choir. By adolescence, he was singing with various gospel ensembles
in Little Rock. He formed the Leavy Brothers Band in 1954, and they
were popular locally, before relocating to Fresno, California. By
the end of 1968, they had moved back to Little Rock and were playing
at local clubs. Through this work, Leavy was offered recording time
at E&M Studios in Little Rock.
The group recorded a cover version of "Tennessee Waltz" and the
song "Cummins Prison Farm", written by Bill Cole. Leavy used the
prison experiences of one of his brothers to expand the lyrical
content. It was originally issued by Soul Beat Records and was
subsequently distributed nationally by Blue Fox Records, that
label's first release. "Cummins Prison Farm" reached number 40 on
the Billboard R&B chart. Recorded in one take, it was one of 27
blues-based songs that reached the R&B chart in 1970.
Leavy recorded further singles for Aquarian, Soul Beat, Downtown
and Messenger Records. These included "Nothing but Your Love", "Give
Me a Love (That I Can Feel)" and "Goin’ to the Dogs Pt.1". The band
also made some recordings for the Arkansas Bicentennial Blues
Project, which are archived at the University of Arkansas at Little
Rock. They also appeared in 1977 at the Beale Street Music Festival,
before disbanding. Forming Calvin Leavy and the Professionals, he
and his new band remained popular locally.
They recorded "Is It Worth All (That I'm Going Through)", "Big
Four", "What Kind of Love", "Free from Cummins Prison Farm", and the
prophetic "If Life Last Luck Is Bound to Change". Further national
chart success eluded him, but he maintained a strong fan base in the
South, and his records often appeared on local jukeboxes.
In 1991, Leavy was charged with making payments to an undercover
police officer and was convicted of multiple drug-related offences
in July 1992. He was sentenced to life plus twenty-five years. His
imprisonment started at Cummins Prison. By 2004, his sentence was
commuted to seventy-five years.
Leavy died in June 2010, at the age of 70, in the Jefferson
Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, He would have been
eligible for parole in eighteen months. (Wikipedia)
NEW!
1976-Cummins Prison Farm (LP) @320
2026-The Arkansas Blues Brothers @320