Gerry Leonard

The ambient and otherworldly nature of Gerry Leonard’s guitar playing compelled fellow musician Donal Coghland to dub him “Spookyghost,” a name Leonard now uses for all of his solo recordings and compositions. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Leonard left school to work in a recording studio. He recorded and mixed a variety of bands and artists from the local Dublin scene, including a demo for the young Sinead O’Connor. He also began studying classical guitar.

In 1989, Leonard relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he played guitar and met Donal Coghlan, a keyboardist/bassist with whom he formed Hinterland. Hinterland was signed to Island records and released one album, Kissing the Roof of Heaven. They toured throughout Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, and Switzerland and showcased in New York , which compelled Leonard to relocate to the United States to work as a freelance guitar player, writer, and producer. Throughout the years, Leonard has had the pleasure of working with David Bowie, Duncan Sheik, Jonatha Brooke, Cyndi Lauper, Donna Lewis, Sophie B. Hawkins and more.

Leonard also began an independent Spookyghost project in 1996, in his home studio in New York. Leonard completed work on Spooky Ghost in 1998, and through the support of such artists as Duncan Sheik, Spooky toured the record throughout the States. A second album, The Light Machine, was recently completed. In the fall of 2002, Leonard toured the nation with Duncan Sheik and Ben Folds, and is planning another national tour in 2003.