Leo de Castro (born Kiwi Leo de Castro Kino; c. 1948 – 3 March 2019) was a New Zealand funk and soul singer-guitarist. From 1969 to 1995 he worked in Australia in a variety of bands before returning to Auckland. He contributed to Rocco (1976), as a member of Johnny Rocco Band; Voodoo Soul – Live at The Basement (October 1987), by Leo de Castro and Friends; a live album, Long White Clouds (2007), which had been recorded in January 1988 using two separate backing bands, The Dancehall Racketeers and Roger Janes Band.
De Castro's vocals feature on the singles, "Wichita Lineman" (January 1971) by King Harvest, "Heading in the Right Direction" (August 1975) by Johnny Rocco Band, "Suspicious Minds" (June 1979) by Leo de Castro and Babylon. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described him as a "permanent fixture of the pub/concert/festival circuit and was praised for his vocal abilities" as "one of the best soul singers working in Australia" during the 1970s. From 1995 de Castro was performing in and around Hobart. His farewell gig in 2008 was recorded and filmed live at the Republic Bar. Leo and the Warriors featured some of Tassie finest musicians including fellow Kiwi the late great guitarist/vocalist Joe Pirere. Later in 2008 moved back to New Zealand to retire.
Early career
Leo de Castro was born as Kiwi Leo de Castro Kino in Benneydale, King Country, New Zealand. He was named after the doctor who delivered him. In 1966, with his family, he moved to Auckland where he started his career in the local club scene. During 1968, for six months, he was the lead singer of Dallas Four and was noted to have a "soul style about his singing".
De Castro relocated to Sydney in 1969 and joined The Browns, alongside Ray Arnott on drums (ex-Chelsea Set), Ronnie Peel on bass guitar (The Missing Links, The Pleazers, Rockwell T. James and the Rhythm Aces, The La De Das) and Les Stacpool on guitar (Chessmen, Merv Benton and the Tamlas). The Browns also backed Bernadette O'Neill, another singer, and were alternately billed as Leo and The Browns or Bernadette and The Browns. Later that year, De Castro formed Leo and Friends with John Capek on piano, Rob MacKenzie on guitar (MacKenzie Theory), Kevin Murphy on drums (ex-Wild Cherries) and Jeremy Noone on saxophone (Sons of the Vegetal Mother). The group disbanded early in the following year.
During that time he stayed briefly with Melbourne rock promoter Michael Browning, who would go on to manage AC/DC. Browning wrote in his memoirs that de Castro was "probably the most electrifying vocalist I've ever heard", but also noted his erratic behaviour. De Castro also appeared at the 1970 Ourimbah "Pilgrimage for Pop", Australia's first rock festival, and was included in the 2012 film Once Around the Sun, a psychedelic movie about the event.
King Harvest
In September 1970 de Castro, on vocals and guitar, formed King Harvest as a progressive rock group with Jimmy Doyle on guitar (Silhouettes, Aesop's Fables, Moonstone), Mark Kennedy on drums (Spectrum), Duncan McGuire on bass guitar (Phantoms, Epics, Questions, Doug Parkinson in Focus, Rush) and Steve Yates on keyboards (Rush, Expression). Billy Green on guitar (Doug Parkinson in Focus) replaced Doyle; Green, in turn, was replaced by MacKenzie, and then by Ray Oliver (The Light). In January 1971 King Harvest issued a cover version of "Wichita Lineman", which peaked at No. 35 on Go-Sets National Top 60. The producer was Ian "Molly" Meldrum, a Go-Set journalist; and the single was issued by RCA. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt their version of "Wichita Lineman" was an "enthralling arrangement ... highlighted by De Castro's soulful vocals and Green's haunting wah wah guitar lines."
By March 1971 Kennedy and McGuire had left King Harvest to rejoin Green in Doug Parkinson in Focus. They were replaced by Murphy (now, ex-Rush, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs) on drums and Gary Clarke on bass guitar. Oliver also left in that month and was replaced on guitar by John Williams (Rebels). This line-up issued a cover version of "Jumping Jack Flash" in April with Meldrum producing, but it did not chart. McFarlane noted it was a "potent, six-minute rave-up fired by blazing guitars and crashing drums." The group broke up in September and de Castro formed a briefly existing band, Flite, with Capek on piano (by then ex-Carson), Barry Harvey on drums (Thursday's Children, Wild Cherries, Chain, King Harvest), Vince Melouney on guitar (Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Bee Gees, Fanny Adams, Cleves) and Barry Sullivan on bass (Thursday's Children, Wild Cherries, Chain, Carson).