About Me
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The Lees began around 11 years ago. After playing in many different bands and finding no satisfaction, Steve Lee decided that the only way to go about it was to use what already had - a wife and four kids.
Steve and his wife Tracey were sitting at a Dead Ringer Band Concert one night in their hometown of Broken Hill when he turned to Tracey and said, "that looks like a good way to make a living Wanna do that?". It only took Tracey a split second to say, "yeah alright then", and The Lees were formed.
The Lees performed for the first time at a small country music festival at "Wompine Station" in late '95, under the name 'Strict-Lee-Us'. They took an instant liking to the stage and have been performing together ever since. Let's rewind a bit...
The Lees started out by doing small shows around NSW in the school holidays and any other spare time they had but after three years of juggling work/school and musical pressures, they decided to put a full year into music and set off to travel Australia. So in the year of '99 they set off with a caravan, two cars, their dog Buck and $40 in hand, to make what they could of this new and exciting lifestyle.
At first they found the change of lifestyle complex and complicated but after a few months on the road they became used to it, and successfully completed a full year worth of touring. The following year they decided to spend some time back in their hometown of Broken Hill working on getting better at what they planned to make a career out of. In late 2000, they went to Adelaide, SA and recorded their debut album - "A World Awaits", still under the name "Strict-LEE-Us"- which was another big learning curve for them.
In 2001 they once again hit the road, this time with an album, and toured extensively throughout Australia. This tour was more successful than previous tours and they achieved quite alot, one of the highlights being getting booked for the Adelaide Festival by Robyn Archer. After a successful year they retired in their hometown once again.
Although the Lee's took 2002 off, they still managed to squeeze in shows at every possible chance they got. That year they opened for many big name acts such as Slim Dusty, Lee Kernaghan and Ross Wilson. As 2002 drew to a close they all knew they were getting itchy feet and that it was time to leave again.
2003 not only saw Strict-Lee-Us back on the road for 11 of the 12 months of the year, but also, a new name - 'The Lees'. It also saw the completion of their first originals album, which was recorded and produced by good friend and mentor Bill Chambers, originally from The Dead Ringer Band. They were also booked for the first time at the Gympie Music Muster where they wowed audiences and made many fans. In 2004 they went back on the road to promote their new album, but a chance meeting with some tour operators from America gave them the chance they had been looking for to tour America. They toured and played with many well known artists such as The Zarb Brothers and Fred Eaglesmith throughout the US and Canada, and returned after 9 weeks to play at the Gympie Muster where they were featured on Main Stage.
The Lees also released 2 filmclips on CMC that year, one for Raechel's song "Don't Miss Me" and one for a track sung by Savannah and written by Audrey Auld Mezera, "Goodbye Walls". Both were well received on CMC and were given a lot of airplay.
In the year of 2005 they recorded a new album, "Time To Kill", which really reinforced how much The Lees had grown up. Their songwriting skills had matured, as had their musicianship and desire to play music. The album was once again recorded with producer, Bill Chambers, and when they weren't recording, they were touring constantly.
"Time To Kill" was released at the start of 2006, at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. The Lees played the first week of the festival, and then rushed back to Broken Hill to play an Australia Day concert.
In 2006 they decided to make the move from Broken Hill to Parkes to be closer to the central touring area, which proved to be a good decision. Eldest daughter Raechel entered the reality TV show “Australian Idol†and was named one of the Top 12 female artists in the country. She also gained a friend and fan in judge, Mark Holden, and with some help from Mark, The Lees signed a distribution deal with wellknown company “MGM†in late 2006.
2007 has seen many more shows for The Lees and also many more songs. They have just bought a tour bus to prepare for the next tour to promote their new single and film clip which will be released in early 2008 through MGM.
But most importantly, regardless of where they are, where they’re from and where they go, The Lees get to do exactly what they want and love, everyday of their life. And really, what more can you ask for?
