"Eternal is the warrior who finds beauty in his wounds"…
These are the words from the song Main Travelled Roads Jackie Leven recorded with his band Doll By Doll in 1981. Some years later he used to tell the story how he got the letter from one of the big record companies and claim for the copyrights, as the melody was very similar to the song Twelfth Of Never sung by Johnny Mattis, quite a hit in the 60’s. Jackie replied that the melody isn’t new really, but much older then the song from the 60’s. It was based on the old Scottish ballad probably written as far back as 17th century. The lawyers never wrote him again.
I think, there is no better way to describe Jackie’s artistic way, than with this stanza. In the 80’s Jackie Leven faced the split of his band, his girlfriend left him, he was nearly murederd in the brutal attack in London. He could not speak or sing for more than one year.
Drug addicted and lonely he returned to Scotland, his homeland. There again picked up a guitar and started to write. The Mystery Of Love Is Greater Than The Mystery Of Death was the first solo album in his career. He was 44 at the time.
He made more then 20 albums inspired by Scottish folk music but never gained commercial success. There were no crowds on his concerts, but people coming to meet him were like a posse of old friends. Jackie Leven had a marvelous sense of humor, that’s the fact. Funny tales between the songs were as much important part of the show as the songs were. But in his poetry hard experiences, pain, sorrow and loneliness were always the most important subject.
- "There are spiritual story tellers and there are soulful story tellers.” - He explained.
- “I hope to be a soulful story teller. I see the two kinds as two different directions. Spiritual is ascending. Sky, God and all that. I hope my story telling is going down into the earth, is wetter, has more moisture."
I was fortunate to talk with Jackie after his concert in Dresden in September 2010. When he heard that I came from Poznan in Poland, he reminded his visit in the town in 1996.
- "I wrote very beautiful song then. I called it Sad Polish Song" - he mentioned.
- "But it was not me who was sad. Your city was.”
Jackie Leven in very special way tried to get ready for the final moment. He never played encores. He used to say, that all his circus with looking from behind the curtain, walking to and from the stage, is good for teenagers, not for adults. When the show was over, it was over, he invited everyone to buy the records or for a small talk at the bar. He did the same this time. The show is over, there will be no encore. To put one of his marvelous albums to the player and make a toast to "eternal warrior" is all that’s left us to do.
Jackie Leven died on 14th of November 2011. He was 61 years old.
