NEWS

SUMMER 2024:

We are extremely excited to announce that we recently found a stack of long-missing CDs that contain previously unreleased recordings that Leigh made from 1989 to 2004. There are several albums here, and we have already released the first three:

• Queen of Everything - Leigh's re-interpretation of previous recordings.  We think some of these - dare we say - are even better than the originals.
• Leigh & Mixed Knots - a blend of musical brilliance and bluegrass, pushed way past the norm. 
• Trombone Jones - single release.

In addition, we've also dropped:

• Lil' Queenie and Backtalk - Leigh, John Magnie, and Bruce McDonald's early 1980s exploration of the styles of synth-pop that were en vogue back then. While the songwriting was great, with Leigh’s wonderfully written lyrics and melodies, the group was short-lived. Tracked in 1983 at the venerable Ultrasonic Studios in New Orleans (where the Percolators first recorded) this first-and-only release contains 5 songs.

With these most recent drops, Leigh's number of recordings has now topped 148, with more to come!  

All are available on Leigh's YouTube Channel.

MARCH 2024:

On Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center in New Orleans, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, in conjunction with The Historic New Orleans Collection, celebrated Leigh and her music with a panel discussion followed by a concert of Leigh’s music, directed and arranged by John Magnie, Leigh's long-time bandmate and co-writer. 

To view recordings and photos of the event, and see the event program, please click on the button below.

MARCH 2024:

Alan Smason welcomed Holley Bendtsen (Pfister Sisters), musician Rick Ledbetter (Leigh's widower), performer Alex MacDonald (Leigh's son), and guitarist Lenny Zenith to his NOLA Theatre Talk Show on Monday, March 11 in a touching hour-long remembrance of Leigh in advance of the upcoming livestream panel discussion and tribute concert at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz and Heritage Center on Wednesday, March 13.

JANUARY 2024:

Two big uploads to Leigh’s YouTube channel:

1] The 2005 Jazz Fest show, where Leigh sings I Put A Spell On You, Paint This Town (a Percolators classic), a soulful redo of Woodstock, and an amazing rendition of the Beatles’ I Am The Walrus. All performed in the Jazz Tent.

2] A release from the highly inventive Jazz Poetry Group featuring Leigh; poet Ron Cuccia; John Magnie (Leigh's long time partner in music); alto sax player Charles Neville; bass player Ramsey McLean; and drummer Rick Sebastian. 

Almost all of the songs were composed by John and Ron, with this release marking the debut of the second version of My Darlin' New Orleans beginning with Ron's poem Streets and leading into My Darlin’. Leigh's hand-written transcription of the introductory poem/rap is available via the IMAGES menu. 

Finally ... what would Mardi Gras be without not only My Darlin' New Orleans, but Leigh's stellar version of the theme for Mardi Gras: If Ever I Cease to Love?

You can check out all of these tracks on Leigh's YouTube channel. Have a listen and raise a toast to Leigh - Da Queen Fo Evah (also HMFIC)!

AUGUST 2023:

Well look what we found ... Leigh's original handwritten lyrics to the My Darlin' New Orleans Rap!

Leigh jotted these lyrics down on six sheets of hotel stationary at the 2007 Jazz Fest.

The full images with the complete rap, along with the My Darlin' single artwork, are viewable on our My Darlin' New Orleans page (under Images on the menu) or by clicking on the button below.

JULY 2023:

This year’s Li'l Queenie Day Concert took place on Friday, July 28 at 8 pm at Chickie Wah Wah (2828 Canal Street, New Orleans).

Hosted by Leigh's son Alex MacDonald, the lineup featured: Papa Mali, The Daywalkers, The NOLA Guitar Masters, Lenny Zenith, Mixed Knots, Woodenhead, Phil deGruy, Darcy Malone, Tom Marron, Song Dogs, Holley Bendtsen, The Bonerama Horns, Jimmy Robinson, Alison Young, Layla Musslewhite, and Amasa Miller.

Proceeds benefitted the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic. 

JUNE 2023:

The Camel City Revelators, a Winston-Salem supergroup, is hoping to help folks get by With a Little Help From Our Friends, a compilation album benefitting the Second Harvest Food Bank Of North West North Carolina.

Featuring a whopping 43 tracks from an array of artists, the initiative was put forth by the Revelators co-founder, Dale Cole, who found himself humbled by the response of artists lending their songs.  Leigh's Slingshots and Boomerangs is included as track 16. 

Please click the button below to redirect to Bandcamp and support this very worthy cause.  

MAY 2023:

We would like to congratulate Lenny Zenith on his latest release:  Always in My Heart (New Orleans is My Home). This wonderful song is Lenny's love letter to his beloved hometown and encapsulates his connection to the vibrant tapestry of the city. 

Every penny from your downloads and streams will go straight to The New Orleans Musicians Clinic, in honor of Leigh, and will support the brilliant talents that make the city thrive.

We'd like to thank Lenny for keeping Leigh's legacy alive with his music, and encourage you to click on the button below to download/stream. 

MAY 2023:

Little Queenie Merchandise Now Available

We heard your requests for Little Queenie swag and are proud to announce that our new storefront - with a refreshed Little Queenie design and lots of product options - is now live and ready for your orders! 

DECEMBER 2022:

Wonderful article on Leigh and The Leigh Harris Collection by Nina Bozak in The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) Winter 2023 Quarterly Newsletter.  

With permission of HNOC, we've included an excerpt here. Click on the link below for the full article and images.

New Leigh Harris Collection Honors a New Orleans Music Queen

Leigh “Little Queenie” Harris (1954–2019) was a New Orleans singer-songwriter whose career spanned 40 years. Though known mostly as a blues-rock singer, her voice defied categorization and allowed her to play with bands of many genres. Harris passed away in 2019 of complications from breast cancer. She was 65.

Harris became a fixture on the New Orleans music scene when she and keyboardist John Magnie, who later cofounded the Subdudes, formed a duo in 1970, performing weekly at the recently opened Tipitina’s. Taking the moniker Little Queenie in 1975, she formed her influential band Li’l Queenie and the Percolators in 1977, also with Magnie. The Percolators quickly became a local favorite and inaugurated Jimmy’s Music Club on Oak Street when it opened in 1978 ... 

Though the Percolators lasted only four years, Harris’s career was long, and she was highly regarded as a musician and songwriter ... Her song with the Percolators “My Dawlin’ New Orleans” closed out the first episode of the HBO series Tremé. Harris released four solo albums and contributed to many others. She was known for her openness and generosity, often acting as a mentor to younger vocalists and making everyone she worked with feel comfortable ...

The Leigh Harris Collection, donated by Harris’s husband, Rick Ledbetter, documents Harris’s musical career, beginning when she was a teenager. Specific items of interest include press photos, scrapbooks, notebooks, chart books, lyrics, posters and other concert ephemera, promotional material, stagewear, instruments, letters, audio recordings, and a 2020 Krewe of ’Tit Rex float by artist Cree McCree dedicated to her memory. The collection also includes approximately 40 digital images and digital files of many of Harris’s recordings. 

JULY 2022: 

We are pleased to announce that, with the generous contributions of her estate, The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) has taken a portion of Leigh's Little Queenie memorabilia for preservation.

The collection includes memorabilia from her first days performing at age 11 through her passing in 2019 at age 65 and includes photos, posters, print articles, notes and lyrics, and copies of her 13 CD recordings. 

Once curated and digitized, HNOC will create a virtual exhibit on its website, as well as an exhibit at their French Quarter museum. 

We would like to thank HNOC for the respect and care they have taken to preserve Leigh's amazing talent and memory!