Chuck Leavell, a Birmingham-born musician, is best known for his role as the keyboardist in The Rolling Stones. What you may not know is that Leavell is also an environmentalist and host of America’s Forests on PBS—a documentary-style program about America’s most beautiful forests and how we can protect them.
Alabama-born music icon turned environmentalist
Born in Birmingham, Chuck Leavell has had a colorful career as a keyboardist for Dr. John, The Allman Brothers Band and eventually The Rolling Stones beginning in 1985. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame member and Birmingham Area Music Award winner has also worked with artists such as:
George Harrison Eric Clapton Blues Traveler John Mayer Miranda Lambert
Chuck Leavell hosts America’s Forests on PBS
In addition to his music career, Leavell is a tree farmer with a 2,500-acre tree farm and preserve in Macon, Georgia. As supporters of sustainable forestry and conservation, Chuck and his wife Rose Lane have two Georgia Tree Farmers of the Year awards under their belt.
As host of America’s Forests, Leavell focuses on forests across the country and highlights how sustainability creates a better world and community. From the Northwoods of Wisconsin to the Arkansas Delta, America’s Forests demonstrates the importance of keeping our forests beautiful and clean.
KODAK, Tenn. — We all — here in East Tennessee and across the planet — owe it to our children and our neighbors to be good stewards of the land, famed musician and conservationist Chuck Leavell told hundreds gathered Friday at the annual Legacy Parks Foundation luncheon and fundraiser.
We have a chance to create art through our stewardship, the longtime Georgian added. But we must be respectful of what we do and we must work together as partners.
“The canvas to perform this art is our own backyards, it’s our own neighborhoods, our own communities and cities, our respective states, this incredible country, Planet Earth,” said Leavell, featured speaker at the Seven Islands State Birding Park in Kodak.
“This is the canvas that we have to perform that art. So I would say, be careful how we mix the colors on the palette, be careful of the brushstrokes. Because I know that all of us who love doing this want to make sure that whatever we paint is a masterpiece.”
The parks group announced at the lunch that philanthropist and businessman Pete Claussen would be donating 90 acres located on the opposite side of the French Broad River to serve as a park addition. He and his late wife Linda have previously donated land for what is now the park.
Legacy Parks executive director Carol Evans also said Friday by working together state agencies and local governments also would be creating a 20-mile “water trail” that would stretch from the park to downtown Knoxville.
Two accessible docks will be installed — at Seven Islands and Asbury Landing — to create access to 5- t 7-mile intervals along the way for “an adaptive experience” that any and all could enjoy.
Hopefully it’ll be the first of many water trails in the state, Evans said.
Legacy Parks is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting East Tennessee’s bounty of outdoor spaces.
Credit: WBIR / Seven Islands is located along the French Broad River.
While known internationally for his more than 50 years in rock ‘n’ roll, including stints with the Allman Brothers and the Rolling Stones, among others, Leavell is also a respected conservationist. He and his wife of 50 years, Rose Lane, live on and look after thousands of acres on a plantation near Macon, Ga.
He’s previously been named a National Tree Farmer of the Year and he has hosted a TV series about America’s forests on PBS.
He’s also the subject of a recent documentary, “Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man”. Rolling Stones originals Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the late Charlie Watts are among the many artists who pay tribute to Leavell in the film.
Leavell said he feels a spiritual connection between trees and the land and his work as a musician because the piano in fact comes from wood.
He told WBIR that Seven Islands is a great example of stewardship in action. But we must do more to look after our natural resources because the nation’s population is only going to go up, he said.
Organizations like Legacy Parks play a vital role in preserving that land, he said. Individuals can also make a difference by doing things as simple as planting a tree.
Credit: WBIR / Legacy Parks Foundation held its annual luncheon at Seven Islands State Birding Park.
“I have a deep passion and love and reverence for the outdoors, for the natural world, for nature in general,” he said. “There’s a wonderful quote that I like to use from Ralph Waldo Emerson — in the woods we return to reason and faith.
“We all have a lot of busy-ness in our lives, no matter what it is that you’re doing, and there’s a lot of electrical vibes going on with our work and whatnot. It’s so important to balance that, to come to a place like this, walk in nature, plant a tree and remember how important this is to all of us.”
Leavell also talked a little music with 10News.
The Stones, for which he’s been the keyboardist for 40-some years, have a new album coming out, “Hackney Diamonds”. It’s their first album of original material since 2005.
The band, including Leavell, tour fairly regularly, most recently in the U.S. in 2021.
Will his “British brethren,” as he calls them, get back on the road now that the album is out?
“I know we’re all excited about (the new album),” he said. “We don’t have any confirmation of what the immediate future might hold. I think the band wants to work, and we will keep our fingers crossed that that will come about.”
This summer, Leavell, REM’s Mike Mills and Macon native and violinist Robert McDuffie received an Emmy in the Southeast Region for their work on “A Night of Georgia Music,” a concert in Macon that featured songs referencing Georgia and including students from Mercer University. It was broadcast on public television in Georgia.
Credit: WBIR / Musician and conservationist Chuck Leavell talks with WBIR at Seven Islands State Birding Park.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A new 20-mile river trail on the French Broad River is coming to Knoxville. The Legacy Parks Foundation announced the new trail along with several other projects during their annual legacy luncheon.
Rock legend Chuck Leavell, who is a respected leader in conservation, helped the foundation celebrate their efforts of conserving natural resources in Tennessee during the event. The Legacy Foundation has helped create public places and connect communities around East Tennessee.
The new project announced was a 20-mile river trail on the French Broad River from Seven Islands to Downtown Knoxville. Three accessible docks will be installed along the trail at Seven Islands, Cruze Landing and Asbury Landing. The goal is to create access at five to seven-mile intervals along the river.
“This project is really a partnership of TVA, TWRA, Legacy Park, State Parks, city and county. So there are a lot of people involved in this and it does take a little while. We’re all used to collaborating, so it’s a great announcement. Everybody sort of shares the value of getting people on the river. So it’s a great project,” said Evans.
“The Claussen’s extraordinary land donation and unwavering support for Seven Islands State Birding Park have transformed a vision into a reality, creating a place where nature and people thrive. Their generosity is monumental, and we are profoundly grateful for their enduring commitment to the park’s mission and its future,” said Deputy Commissioner Greer Tidwell of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Other Legacy Parks projects highlighted included the French Broad Veterans Memorial Park, which is set to finish by spring 2024, and the Angora Frog Farm in Powell, which will offer visually stimulating and imaginative play areas for young children.
On Saturday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m., the Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District will be hosting the only screening in Maine of the documentary “Clear Day Thunder: Rescuing the American Chestnut” at the Center Theatre. The showing is by donation, with a Q&A following the film with Thomas Klak from The American Chestnut Foundation, Maine Chapter.
“Clear Day Thunder: Rescuing the American Chestnut” tells the story of passionate citizen scientists and researchers working to restore this ecologically and economically important species, during this pivotal moment. The tree that forged a connection with humankind has been embraced in turn by humans who, invigorated by hope, are working tirelessly to revive this magnificent tree — so that it can once again help shape the future. The movie features President Jimmy Carter, Dolly Parton, Chuck Leavell from the Allman Brothers and Rolling Stones, culinary historian and author Michael Twitty, best-selling author Barbara Kinsolver, “Father of Biodiversity” biologist and writer, E.O. Wilson, and Rex Mann — retired forester and chestnut evangelist. This documentary is underwritten by The American Chestnut Foundation and sponsored by the James G. K. McClure Educational and Development Fund and New Leaf Paper. The mission of The American Chestnut Foundation is to return the iconic American chestnut tree (Castanea dentata) to its native range.
Prior to the screening, there will be exciting raffle items such as Chestnut trees, gardening and tree care supplies, books, gift certificates to local businesses and 50/50 raffle tickets along with refreshments including snacks and beverages at Center Theatres concession stand. All proceeds and support of the film will go toward Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District’s conservation educational outreach programming and operational support which helps aid our American Chestnut germplasm plot located at the Law Farm Nature Trails in Dover-Foxcroft. Stick around after the screening to have a chance to talk directly with Klak where folks can have the opportunity to ask questions regarding the restoration efforts and current updates. PCSWCD looks forward to seeing you at this event and thanks Center Theatre, The American Chestnut Foundation and all the partners and businesses that contributed to this effort.
On Nov. 2, 1972, the Allman Brothers Band made their live debut with a new lineup. Duane Allman, the band’s transcendent guitarist and leader, had died a year earlier in a motorcycle accident. His place, as if anyone could fill it, was taken by 20-year-old wunderkind Chuck Leavell, one of rock’s greatest pianists. The group was locked in.
Playing as part of Don Kirshner’s “In Concert” TV show along with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chuck Berry and Poco, the Allman Brothers premiered “Ramblin’ Man.” The song, a tasty slice of country rock fueled by Dickey Betts’ twangy guitar, would go on to become the band’s highest charting single at No. 2. With it and Gregg Allman’s “Wasted Words” already in the can for their next album, one of America’s greatest jam bands saw nothing but blue skies ahead.
Then tragedy struck — again. Just nine days after the taping, Berry Oakley, the adventurous bassist whose innovative playing helped the band’s music take flight, also died in a motorcycle crash.
Losing two key members in such close succession would be more than enough to destroy most bands. But as author Alan Paul convincingly argues, the Allman Brothers weren’t like most bands. They were stronger, better and more resilient, at least for a while. In his engaging new book, “Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album that Defined the ’70s,” Paul depicts the band barreling through substance abuse, death and despair to make their biggest selling record and become America’s most popular band — before it all finally comes crashing down.
Along the way, Paul takes several interesting detours. He shows how the Allmans inspired the Southern Rock movement, paving the way for the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band. He also takes readers behind the scenes of July 1973’s Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, N.Y., the largest rock festival ever with 600,000 fans, which the Allman Brothers co-headlined with their friends the Grateful Dead.
Gregg Allman, pictured in 1976, is the key subject of Alan Paul’s new Allman Brothers history, “Brothers and Sisters.” (Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times)
“The Allman Brothers Band elevated above their rock and roll peers to become an American institution … a group that birthed a genre, had immense impact on country music, helped elect an American president, and stood at the center of the nation’s culture,” writes Paul, also the author of the best-selling “One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band.”
In Paul’s telling, the process of making “Brothers and Sisters” was anything but smooth. Gregg Allman was working on his first solo album, “Laid Back,” at the same time. Betts began to assume leadership of the band, creating tension between him and an increasingly drug-addled Allman. Integrating Leavell and new bassist Lamar Williams into the Brotherhood proved challenging.
Somehow, they managed to produce a multiplatinum album with a mellower and more accessible sound, including the upbeat instrumental “Jessica,” which later won a Grammy Award. The band’s timing couldn’t have been any better.
“The vibe on ‘Brothers and Sisters’ was unknowingly tapping into a national mood,” Paul writes. “The country sought tranquility, togetherness, and a simpler, more peaceful time after being torn apart in the ’60s by social upheaval.”
Fueled by the popularity of “Ramblin’ Man,” “Brothers and Sisters” would go on to sell 7 million copies. It landed the Allman Brothers on the cover of Rolling Stone. It made them superstars. Perhaps most interestingly, their success caught the attention of a peanut farmer from Plains, Ga., who dreamed of becoming president.
In January 1974, Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter held a post-show party at the governor’s mansion for Bob Dylan and the Band. Because of his relationship with Allman Brothers manager Phil Walden, Carter also invited the group.
Gregg Allman showed up late, after everyone had left. Instead of being turned away, he found himself alone on a porch with Carter drinking J&B scotch and listening to records by bluesman Elmore James. Carter started reeling off lyrics to “Midnight Rider” and other songs Allman had written. The governor told the singer that he was running for president and might one day need some financial help.
(St. Martin’s Press)
Allman liked Carter but thought the Levi’s- and T-shirt-clad man seated next to him had no chance. But Carter, like the Allman Brothers, repeatedly defied the odds. On Nov. 25, 1975, the band played a benefit for the cash-strapped candidate at the Providence Civic Center in Rhode Island. The group not only raised money for Carter but, as Paul notes, also burnished his image with young voters.
“If it hadn’t been for Gregg Allman, I never would have been president,” Carter said.
But as the peanut farmer ascended, the Allmans went the other way. Drugs, infighting and exhaustion took their toll. Their once-magical improvisations became self-indulgent and meandering, especially live. The band called it quits in 1976. Then reunited in 1978. Then broke up in 1982. Then got back together in 1989. Put out three strong albums in the 1990s. Pushed Betts out of the band in 2000 and soldiered on until 2014. There’s a book in there somewhere.
For all its strengths, “Brothers and Sisters” drags at times, notably Paul’s description of Gregg Allman’s relationship with Cher, which seems better suited for the pages of the National Enquirer. The book also overstates the influence of the album itself. It’s easy to argue that 1972’s “Exile on Main Street” by the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions” (1973) and 1977’s “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols” all left a bigger musical and cultural imprint.
Still, these are minor quibbles. Few writers understand or appreciate the Allman Brothers as much as Paul. His book, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of its namesake album, colorfully narrates an oft-overlooked chapter in the band’s history with nuance, clarity and perspicacity. In addition to his own extensive reporting, Paul had access to hundreds of hours of interviews conducted in the mid-1980s by Kirk West, a longtime Allman Brothers insider, for a book West never got around to writing. That material gives Paul’s work a real richness and depth.
“Brothers and Sisters” is a very good read for anyone interested in the Allman Brothers, the sounds of the ’70s or simply great music. It rocks.
