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The daughter of a coal miner, Heather Leigh was born in West Virginia and raised in Texas and has been recording and releasing music since the 1990s. These days she's firmly rooted in Glasgow, Scotland, where she’s co-run Volcanic Tongue Record Shop & Mailorder since 2004. Her music has been described as high metal masses for amplified strings and vocals that blow all notions of form and fidelity to pieces. She’s released numerous recordings on labels such as Not Not Fun, Family Vineyard, Fag Tapes, Ultra Eczema, Chocolate Monk, Kendra Steiner Editions, Ikuisuus, Eclipse Records, Fonal and her own imprints, Wish Image and Volcanic Tongue. Her main instruments are pedal steel guitar and voice, as well as electric guitar, keyboards, bells, cuatro, psaltery, drums, bass and harmonica. She’s toured extensively as a solo artist throughout the US, Europe and New Zealand and has also played/performed/released music with Ash Castles On The Ghost Coast, Charalambides, Scorces (a duo with Christina Carter), the Dream/Aktion Unit (a group with Thurston Moore, Paul Flaherty, Chris Corsano and Matt Heyner), Taurpis Tula, Jailbreak (a duo with Chris Corsano) and Jandek who she’s played live and recorded with in the States and the UK as well as played bass with on the only tours he’s ever done in Northern Ireland and Australia. She’s also collaborated with Richard Youngs, Blood Stereo, MV & EE, Marcia Bassett, Robbie Yeats of The Dead C, John Olson of Wolf Eyes, Smegma, Jutta Koether, Kommissar Hjuler & Mama Baer and many others. Heather Leigh is also a visual artist. For many years she was the graphic designer for Pauline Oliveros Foundation Houston and her visual art has been included in many UK & US exhibitions and used on many record covers.

ALBUMS


Brötzmann* / Leigh* / Lonberg-Holm*
Naked Nudes
2023, CD, Album, Trost Records, ,
Free Jazz/Free Improvisation
Heather Leigh*
Glory Days
2020
Brötzmann* / Leigh*
South Moon Under (The Red Hook Concert)
2019, CD, Ltd, Num, Not On Label (Heather Leigh Murray Self-released), Not On Label (Peter Brötzmann Self-released), ,
Free Improvisation
Brötzmann* / Leigh*
Crowmoon
2018, CD, Album, Ltd, Num, Not On Label (Heather Leigh Murray Self-released), Not On Label (Peter Brötzmann Self-released), ,
Free Jazz/Free Improvisation
Brötzmann* / Leigh*
Sparrow Nights
2018
Heather Leigh*
Throne
2018
Brötzmann* / Leigh*
Sex Tape
2017
Peter Brötzmann, Heather Leigh*
Ears Are Filled With Wonder
2016, CD, ,
Free Improvisation
Heather Leigh*
I Abused Animal
2015
Heather Leigh*
Nightingale
2014, LP, Mono, Ltd, Golden Lab Records
Heather Leigh*
Me-Ba
2013, Cass, S/Sided, Album, Ltd, Alice Zinc
Heather Leigh*
Empire
2012, CDr, Album, Ltd, Kendra Steiner Editions
Heather Leigh Murray
Posing For A New Role
2011, Cass, S/Sided, Album, Ltd, Wish Image
Can't / Carly Ptak / Heather Leigh* / Zaimph*
Untitled
2007, 2xLathe, 8", Ltd, Curor Recordings
Heather Leigh Murray
There's A Brunette Up In Tulsa That Cries For Me
2007, CDr, Ltd, Num, Volcanic Tongue
Heather Leigh Murray
Devil If You Can Hear Me
2007, LP, Ltd, Not Not Fun Records
Heather Leigh Murray
Pot Baby
2006, CDr, Ltd, Num, Volcanic Tongue, ,
Experimental
Heather Leigh*
Jailhouse Rock
2006
Heather Leigh Murray
Give The Ashes To The Indians
2005, CDr, Album, Ltd, Volcanic Tongue
Heather Leigh*
Cuatro Vocal
2002, CDr, Ltd, Wish Image
Flesh & The Dream
Choose Mortality
2023, LP, Album, Everything Forever
Jailbreak
The Rocker
2010, LP, Album, Ltd, Family Vineyard
Jailbreak
Colour Them Gone
2010, CDr, Ltd, Num, Nyali Recordings, ,
Free Improvisation
Scorces
Dreamers Of Decadence
2008, CDr, Album, Ltd, Volcanic Tongue, ,
Experimental
Scorces
I Turn Into You
2008, 2xLP, Album, Not Not Fun Records, ,
Experimental
Charalambides
Electricity Ghost
2007, CD, Album, Ltd, Wholly Other
Taurpis Tula
Cadillac Sitting Like A Ton Of Lead
2007, LP, Ltd, Ikuisuus, ,
Noise/Psychedelic Rock
Dream/Aktion Unit
Blood Shadow Rampage
2006, CD, Volcanic Tongue
Taurpis Tula
Steel Rods Bruise Butterflies
2005, CDr, Chocolate Monk, ,
Experimental
Taurpis Tula
Caught In The Teeth Of It
2005, CDr, Album, Ltd, Num, Volcanic Tongue
Taurpis Tula
Sparrows
2004, LP, Ltd, Eclipse Records (3), ,
Folk Rock/Experimental
Taurpis Tula
1976
2004, CDr, Ltd, Not On Label (Taurpis Tula Self-released)
Charalambides
Joy Shapes
2004, CD, ,
Acoustic/Drone/Avantgarde/Experimental
Scorces
Vivre Avec La Bête
2003, LP, Ltd, Num, Eclipse Records (3)
Charalambides
Live Hand Held
2002, CDr, Wholly Other
Charalambides
CHT
2002, CDr, Wholly Other
Charalambides
Spring Leaves Fall
2002, 7", Ltd, Time-Lag Records
Charalambides
Unknown Spin
2002, CD Digisleeve , ,
Experimental/Minimal/Ambient
Charalambides
Ana / Kata
2002
Scorces
Scorces
2001, CD, Wholly Other, ,
Drone/Minimal/Free Improvisation
Charalambides
The Work Of Glaciers
2001, CDr, Ltd, Num, Sound-O-Mat, ,
Folk Rock/Drone/Psychedelic Rock/Avantgarde
Charalambides
Branches
2001
Charalambides
Water
2000, CDr, Wholly Other, ,
Folk Rock/Drone/Psychedelic Rock/Avantgarde
Charalambides
Charalambides
1997, CD, Album, Wholly Other
Ash Castles On The Ghost Coast
Ash Castles On The Ghost Coast
1996, CD, Album, Fleece Records, Wholly Other

APPEARANCES +


Keenan/Russell Duo
Performs Monument Maker
2024, LP, Album, Glass Modern, ,
Sound Poetry/Spoken Word
Jandek
Northern Ireland July
2023, Box, Album + CD + DVD + 4xCD, Corwood Industries, ,
Free Improvisation/Avantgarde/Experimental
Tunes Of Negation
Like The Stars Forever And Ever
2020, ,
Abstract/Experimental/Ambient
Citizen Bravo, Raymond MacDonald And Friends
Return To Y'Hup The World Of Ivor Cutler
2020, CD,
Tunes Of Negation
Reach The Endless Sea
2019
MV / EE* / Flower*
Ladbrokes Cocktease On Hen Night
2016, CDr, Heroine Celestial Agriculture
Jandek
Glasgow Sunday 2005
2008
Tight Meat Duo
Vanishing Fist
2007, CD, Album, Bo'Weavil Recordings, ,
Free Jazz/Jazz-Rock/Experimental/Avantgarde/Free Improvisation
Tight Meat Trio
Ganges Letdown
2007, CDr, Ltd, Not On Label, ,
Free Jazz
Various
I Don't Think The Dirt Belongs To The Grass
2006, 3xCD, Comp, Carbon Records, ,
Folk Rock/Noise/Avantgarde/Industrial/Ambient
Scorces / Tom Carter
Beats For The Beast
2004, CD, Album, Free Porcupine Society, ,
Psychedelic Rock/Experimental
Various
Soun - An Anonymous And Random Compilation / Composition
2003, 7", S/Sided, Ltd, Gameboy Records, ,
Abstract/Noise/Experimental
Christina Carter
Bastard Wing
2003, LP, Eclipse Records (3)
Migrantes
Monsoon Moods
2003, LP, Album, Eclipse Records (3)
Various
The Invisible Pyramid
2003, 2xCD, Comp, Last Visible Dog, ,
Abstract/Drone/Psychedelic Rock/Experimental/Free Improvisation/Folk/Lo-Fi
Anne Heller
Wild Yams Up Granma's Butt
2003, CD, Album, Crunchy Food, ,
Noise/Abstract/Avantgarde/Experimental/Field Recording
Various
Top 25 Heart Seekers Praise Songs Vol. 2
2002
Gravel
No Stone Unturned
1993, ,
Garage Rock
Various
The Suzanne Langille Songbook
2025, 2xCD, Comp, Jew, Family Vineyard, Feeding Tube Records
Susanna
FACT Mix 644
2018, File, MP3, Mixed, 320, FACT Magazine, ,
Folk/Nordic/Avant-garde Jazz/Downtempo/Shoegaze/Ethereal/Contemporary Jazz/Experimental
Various
Musik Zur Zeit CD 146 Spex No.383
2018, CD, Comp, Spex (2), ,
Berlin-School
Various
Below The Radar 20
2015, 18xFile, MP3, Comp, 320, Wire Magazine, ,
Minimal/Abstract/Free Improvisation/Experimental/Hiplife
Various
For Tom Carter
2013, 99xFile, MP3, Comp, 320, Deserted Village, ,
Art Rock/Avantgarde/Experimental/Folk/Folk Rock/Psychedelic Rock
Various
Fever
2011, LP + 7" + Comp, Ltd, Ultra Eczema
Various
Honest Strings: A Tribute To The Life And Work Of Jack Rose
2010, 41xFile, MP3, Comp, 320, Jack Rose LLC, ,
Folk Rock/Indie Rock/Avantgarde/Post Rock/Psychedelic Rock/Experimental
Various
Broken Brain
2007, CDr, Comp, Chocolate Monk, ,
Noise/Drone/Experimental
Various
A Glasgow Wassail
2007, CDr, Comp, Ltd, Sonic Oyster Records