Leo de Castro

aka Kiwi Leo de Castro Kino


Although popular at the time and greatly admired by his peers, soul singer Leo de Castro’s scattered and long deleted recorded output sadly only captured a fragment of what he was capable of on stage.

Little known in his own country, de Castro captivated Australian audiences throughout the 1970s. He attracted some of the best musicians to support him and was sought after for a range of session work.

Unsung Heroes of Māori Music - Sonny Day and Leo de Castro
Leo de Castro in the late 1970s
Friends - Walk In The Light (with Phil Manning)
Leo de Castro
Leo De Castro in Friends with Charlie Tumahai on guitar - Lady Montego
King Harvest - Wichita Lineman/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Johnny Rocco Band, 1975.
Leo de Castro and Cahoots, 1976: Leo (Kiwi Kino) de Castro, guitarist Harris Campbell (now deceased), drummer and percussionist Sunil de Silva, and bass player Billy Ryland
The Johnny Rocco Band feat. Leo de Castro - Heading In The Right Direction (1975)
Leo de Castro's late 70s band Babylon with a Dutch EP
Leo de Castro - Daylight (live at Republic Hotel, Hobart, 2008)
The Johnny Rocco Band feat. Leo de Castro - Sweet Kisses (1975)
Johnny Rocco Band - Knocking On My Door (1975)
Friends (with Charlie Tumahai) - Lucille
The Johnny Rocco Band - Baby's Gonna Make It (1975)
The Johnny Rocco Band in the Canberra Times, August 1976
Leo de Castro, Sydney, 1973
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
The Italian release of the 1975 Johnny Rocco Band album Rocco. The band was renamed Rocco too for this issue.
Leo de Castro and the Warriors cover Wilson Pickett's Midnight Hour (live in Hobart, 2008)
Labels:

Festival


Mushroom Records


Warner Music


The Ritz Gramophone Company


20th Century Records

Trivia:

In the Radio NZ Musical Chairs programme about de Castro, promoter and friend Bob Burns recalled Leo getting up to sing with Renee Geyer and Ricky May - as well as AC/DC and Cold Chisel in their formative years.

During The Johnny Rocco Band's Kings Cross residency, many internationally renowned musicians stopped by to jam, including jazz greats Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul and Jaco Pastorius, and British rock singer Paul Rodgers.

Funded by

Partners with