RCA Press Release
When Creole chefs combine a number of mouth-watering
ingredients to form a rich gravy base, the resulting sauce
is called a "roux." Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
the band known as LeRoux more than lives up to their name
with a music that's strong, tasty and fulfilling.
So Fired Up is LeRoux's second album for RCA,
following last year's Last Safe Place, which included
the singles "Addicted" and "Nobody Said It Was Easy."
Last Safe Place and their new album So Fired
Up were both produced by bassist Leon Medica.
The members of LeRoux were playing together for some
time before combining their talents as a formal band. Leon
Medica, David Peters, Rod Roddy, Bobby Campo, and Jeff
Pollard all worked in the house band at Studio in the Country,
a major recording facility located in Bogalusa, Louisiana.
Medica, a staff producer, led them in backing up such artists
as Clifton Chenier and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. For
a while, they would tour with Gatemouth half the week and
devote the other half to their own music, eventually organizing
as the Jeff Pollard Band. In 1976 they backed Brown on
a tour of Africa sponsored by the United States State Department.
Tony Haselden was recruited as the band's guitarist
shortly after the group was awarded their first recording
contract in 1977. Changing their name to "Louisiana's LeRoux"
(they used the State's name both for local identification
and for legal reasons—another band was already using the
name LeRoux), they released their debut album named after
the group in 1978. A hit single, "New Orleans Ladies,"
made the national top 40 and climbed higher still in several
markets. Subsequent albums were titled Keep The Fire
Burnin' and Up.
In 1981, after building a solid reputation thanks to
their albums and a tortuous touring schedule that had them
on the road three quarters of each year, LeRoux—no need
for "Louisiana's" any more—was signed to RCA.
The departure of two founding members, Jeff Pollard
and Bobby Campo, to pursue other interests has resulted
in the addition of a new lead singer and lead guitarist.
Jim Odom, lead guitarist, is from the band's hometown of
Baton Rouge. Jim attended Boston's prestigious Berklee
School of Music on a scholarship sponsored by the jazz
journal Down Beat. Back in Baton Rouge, Jim formed a Jazz-Rock
fusion band that bears the distinction of being "...the
first Asia. When the super group that had been put together
decided that they wanted to use that name, they had to
square things with us, because we were already registered
with it."
Dennis "Fergie" Frederiksen, now LeRoux's lead singer,
was living in Los Angeles when manager Budd Carr contacted
him about auditioning for the opening spot in LeRoux.
Fergie hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was on
a gymnastic scholarship at Central Michigan University.
"At the same time I was going to college, I was working
in a band. I'd drive 99 miles to make a club date, and
then have to be back in class at eight the next morning."
Music won out, with Fergie moving to Chicago and joining
a band called Trillion.
"Not only does the addition of Fergie and Jim extend
the strength of LeRoux's already-powerful recorded sound
and stage show, there's an added bonus," says Leon. "The
fact that Fergie is a lead singer, and not someone who
doubles on an instrument, focuses the band visually in
a way we didn't have before. Of course, Jim's strength
as a player will add its own dimension. We were looking
for that kind of thing when we were auditioning musicians."
Past performances have proven LeRoux as highly regarded
songwriters and as one of the most accomplished bands around,
with a particularly strong following in the southeastern
part of the country. Their television appearances include
"Solid Gold" and their video of "Addicted" reached heavy
rotation on MTV.
The future promises to be even more exciting. Leon speaks
confidently of a "team effort that's really happening,"
and of LeRoux's "well-rounded chemistry."
And what could be more important to a tasty roux than
the well-rounded chemistry of a diverse blend of proven
Ingredients?
