From the 1980s through the mid-1990s, Solomon continued to write songs, but rarely performed in public choosing to raise his family and work in environmental research at Harvard University. From 1978 though 2009 he managed a research program that investigated ozone depletion in the stratosphere and other matters having to do climate change. Since re-entering the performance arena, he has released four albums of original material that combine elements of folk, country, and blues, and in the process has won a dozen songwriting awards.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Lenny Solomon's style has been compared to early Bob Dylan, Guy Clark, and Jerry Jeff Walker. Solomon began his career in the late 1960s. A fixture at the now defunct Idler Coffeehouse in Harvard Square, Cambridge, he regularly performed there on Friday nights for over eight years. The Idler was a training ground for songwriters such as Geoff Bartley, Paul Rishell, Spider John Koerner, and Ric Ocasek. During these years as a solo performer he shared bills with many touring performers including Chris Smither, Carolyn Hester, Bonnie Raitt, and Spider John.
From the 1980s through the mid-1990s, Solomon continued to write songs, but rarely performed in public. He chose rather to raise his family and work in environmental research at Harvard University. From 1978 though 2009 he managed a research program that investigated ozone depletion in the stratosphere and more general climate change issues.
In 1997 Solomon got back into performing and formed a folk/country band appropriately enough called Solomon. Performing his original material, Solomon has released one EP and four CDs. The full length albums are available on his website, www.solomonband.com
Released in 2002, Not Life Threatening received fine reviews and was aired on public and college radio stations. Of this album, Soundbyte Magazine said, "I'm taken back to another time and place. The music of Lenny Solomon harks back to a time so long ago that country music was still called folk, or western, or perhaps hillbilly. It's old-time music that manages somehow to not be old-timey, generating instead a timeless quality. Lenny Solomon's vocals remind me most of John Prine, as does his writing, but there are also elements of the old country and western singers like Merle Travis, Stonewall Jackson, Roy Acuff or Doc Watson."
In 2004 Solomon released Armando's Pie. This fourteen-song album consisted of original songs written between 2002 and 2004. A review published in Rambles.net stated, "The 14 tracks on this CD are all excellent and diverse enough to ensure that any listener will find a few that could become favorites. Solomon has the wisdom of that other person of that name. He gives us songs to make us think but never lets the message get in the way of the fact that to transmit any message, the medium must grab and hold our attention."
Maybe Today was released 2/1/07. In a review by Holly Moors (Moors Magazine in The Netherlands), she states, "We have a weak spot for Lenny Solomon. The man writes lovely, touching and beautiful songs that stay with me. When Armando's Pie came out he told me his next album would be a band-affair once more. That new album (Maybe Today) has become his best so far. His other albums can be considered as a collection of very fine songs, this one has also become a beautifully balanced, complete album." To date, various cuts from his albums have been aired on over 130 radio stations as far away as Siberia. "
Under My Hat was released in July 2014. Bill Copeland
(www.billcopelandmusicnews.com) stated "Lenny Solomon's fourth CD Under My Hat reflects the ability of a seasoned singer-songwriter. Solomon has been at this business of words, emotions, stories, and music for a good four decades. His experience shows in how he delivers each song with no more and no less than what each needs. And in the case of Lenny Solomon, each song still has a lot going on inside of it. "
Solomon has material posted on the following websites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0a6d-dWMng (The Listener)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGvip8H52AE (Rode Rage)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1VZGtOhTV8 (Maybe Today)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00m9hXEyVic (Fashion Plate)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21StgBsXxLo&feature=relmfu (Moose in Brooklyn)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKRRN-jBz_I (Come Take My Hand)
www.facebook.com/lennysolomonmusic
www.reverbnation.com/lennysolomon
https://soundcloud.com/lenny-solomon
Lenny Solomon's songs have won the following awards.
Finalist in the 2014 Eco Arts Award Songwriting contest for the songs "The Flood" & "Spare Change"
Finalist in the 2014 Rhode Island Songwriters Association Songwriting contest for the songs "Ode To Robert Frost" & "Del's Song"
Semi-finalist in the 2013 Song Of The Year Songwriters Contest for the song "Ode to Robert Frost" (Folk category)"
Fourth Place in the 2013 International Indie Songwriting contest for the song "It's Snowin'"
Finalist in the 2013 Eco Awards songwriting contest for "Global Warming Blues"
Second Place in the 2012 International Indie Songwriting contest for the song "Your Flight Has Just Been Canceled" (Country/Americana category).
Runner Up in the 2012 Song Of The Year Songwriters Contest for the song "Why" (Folk category)."
Finalist in the 2011 UK Songwriting contest for the song "A Soldier Coming Home."
Semi-finalist in the 2011 UK Songwriting contest for the song "Why."
Semi-finalist in the 2009 UK Songwriting contest for the song "Test Of Time."
Honorable Mention award in the 2006 Peacedriven.com Songwriting Award contest for the song "Gettysburg."
Semi-finalist in the 2005 UK Songwriting contest for the song "He's A Cowboy" (Country/Folk category).
last updated: Sun Feb 4 08:57:45 2007 | lenny_AT_solomonband.com |