Phillip Leo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phillip Leo
Background information
Birth name	Philip Ernest Pottinger
Born	(1967-04-29) 29 April 1967 (age 58) Greenwich, London, UK
Origin	Peckham, South London
Genres	Reggae, soul, R&B, reggae fusion
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, guitar
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Fashion, Finestyle, Breakin' Loose, Sharma Productions, EMI, Big Lion Productions
Associated acts	C.J. Lewis

Phillip Leo (born Philip Ernest Pottinger on April 29, 1967) is a talented British singer, songwriter, and producer. He is famous for his reggae music. Phillip grew up in South London and is the youngest of five children. His parents came from Jamaica.

Phillip Leo's Musical Journey

Early Life and First Steps

Phillip Leo was born in Greenwich, London. When he was at Sir Roger Manwood's School, he played in the school's steel band. He also learned to play the drums and keyboards.

In February 1988, Phillip Leo signed with a British music company called Fashion Records. He joined as a singer and songwriter. By September of that same year, his first song, "Rocking the Night Away"/"Food of Love", became a hit. It reached number 6 on the UK Reggae Charts.

Becoming a Songwriter and Producer

Phillip Leo soon became well-known as a songwriter and producer. He helped create many reggae hits for other artists on the Fashion Records label. These included "Two Timing Lover" by Janet Lee Davis, which was a number 1 hit. He also worked on "Crazy Feeling" by Peter Spence and "Lets Show the World" by Nerious Joseph.

He produced the first song for the duo Zuruchi, called "Celebrate Our Love". Phillip Leo won the Reggae Songwriter of the Year award two years in a row, in 1989 and 1990. He also played drums, keyboards, and sang backing vocals for artists like Barry Boom and Cutty Ranks. He produced two songs for Sandra Cross's album Foundation Of Love.

Releasing His Own Music

As a singer, Phillip Leo had a big hit with "I Wanna be Loved by You", which reached number 2. He then produced popular songs like "Why do Fools Fall in Love" and "Good Thing Going". He also produced "Young, Gifted & Black". These were duets with DJ CJ Lewis.

In January 1990, Phillip Leo released his first album, Lover of Music. This album featured nine of his own songs. It reached number 3 on the Reggae Album Chart. It included popular songs like "I'm Missing You" and "We Belong Together", a duet with Marie Dawn. His first single, "Rocking The Night Away", was also on this album.

Forming Breakin' Loose

Phillip Leo started working with bassist and songwriter Steve Bingham. Together, they wrote over 170 songs. This led them to create their own record label called Breakin’ Loose.

Their first song from the new label was "Hypnotic Love". It had four different versions and featured DJ CJ Lewis. This song was number 1 on the UK Reggae Charts for seven weeks in 1993. It stayed on the chart for six months! After that, they released "Today", which was also the title of his second album. "Today" reached number 5 on the UK Reggae Chart. This album showed that Phillip Leo was exploring different music styles. Side A had soul and R&B songs, while Side B kept his well-known reggae and lovers rock sound.

Working with Major Labels

After many successful songs, EMI Records approached Phillip Leo. He signed with them as a recording artist. This led to two of his songs, "Second Chance" (number 57) and "Thinking About Your Love" (number 64), reaching the UK Singles Chart. The song "Thinking About Your Love" featured DJ Top Cat on some versions.

While at EMI, Phillip Leo produced CJ Lewis’s album, Dollars, for MCA Records. From this album, CJ Lewis had a number 3 hit with "Sweets for My Sweet". Two more songs from the album also reached the UK top twenty. The Dollars album sold over 500,000 copies around the world.

CJ Lewis's second album, Rough & Smooth, was also produced by Phillip Leo. This album became very popular in Japan, selling over 1,000,000 copies worldwide. It also had a number 1 song in France called "R to the A".

Later Career and Recent Releases

After his success with major labels, Phillip Leo restarted his own record company, Sharma Productions. His next album was his third, called Just 4 U. The first song from this album, "Angel Heart"/"I Wanna be the One", became very popular, especially in Japan. This led to him being invited to perform at Japansplash. This is a big yearly event in Japan where British and Jamaican reggae artists perform over six weeks.

In 1997, Phillip Leo released his fifth album, Down 2 Earth. The song "Summer Girl", featuring Glamma Kid, was a top ten reggae hit from this album. Phillip Leo also continued to produce and remix music for many other artists. These included Louchie Lou & Michie One, Carroll Thompson, and Musical Youth.

In May 2017, Phillip Leo released his seventh album, Faithfully. The first song from this album was "Feel So Good", and the second was "Your Life". He also released Space Dub 2, which was a follow-up to his 1996 album Space Dub. His albums Just 4 U, Down 2 Earth, and Space Dub have been re-released and improved for digital download.

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

Remix Releases