Leo Sayer was grateful that Sir Paul McCartney told him not to cut his hair
The 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing' hitmaker has revealed that he owes his considerable perm to the Beatles legend - who advised him not to trim his locks when he was starting out in the music industry
22 February 2025
Leo told the i newspaper: "He gave me some advice: 'Don't cut your hair'.
"It was good advice. Well, I stood out. And then in the end you become a brand, don't you? Like John Lennon with glasses."
Leo recalled how he was offered suspicious cigarettes by Lennon before he found fame as he worked at a studio where the 'Imagine' hitmaker's wife Yoko Ono lived.
The 76-year-old singer said: "I worked at a studio where Yoko Ono lived upstairs.
"John Lennon used to come down for a smoke. He'd say, 'Want a ciggie?' I'd say, 'I've got one'. He'd say, 'No, try one of these'."
The 'When I Need You' artist also described how he received a phone call from Elvis Presley just a day before The King of Rock 'n' Roll's death in 1977.
Leo said: "He seemed to really like me. Smashing conversation. He invited me the next day to Graceland.
"That was crazy. What a circumstance."
The star revealed that he discovered that Elvis' appreciation of his music was genuine when he encountered the music legend's then-girlfriend Ginger Alden.
Sayer explained: "She said, 'Look, I have to tell you that the last time I was with him, he was jumping up the stairs singing 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing'. It's extraordinary, so fantastical."
Leo will be touring the UK and Ireland with a host of festival shows this summer and revealed that he has ambitions to play the Legends slot at the Glastonbury Festival.
He said: "I'd love to do it."
Leo Sayer's Still Feel Like Dancing? UK and Ireland Summer 2025 dates:
July 5 - Guildford - Guilfest
July 7 - Swindon - Wyvern Theatre
July 9 - Blackpool - Grand Theatre
July 11 - Wexford - National Opera House
July 12 - Dublin - Bord Gais Theatre
July 13 - Cork - Opera House
July 16 - Barnstaple - Queen's Theatre
July 17 - Weston-super-Mare - Playhouse
July 19 - Holmfirth - Picturedrome
July 20 - Solihull - Summer Fest
July 25 - Belfast - Ulster Hall
July 26 - Chester - Storyhouse
July 31 - Stroud - The Sub Rooms
August 2 - Wickham - Festival
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