Ten Mancs: Kermit Leveridge

In the mid-nineties I toured with Black Grape. Twenty years later, I’m back photographing the band and I’m catching up with PAUL LEVERIDGE, better known as Kermit. A true Mancunian who grew up in the heart of Manchester, in Moss Side.

Paul’s parents are from Jamaica. They both came over in their youth, met in England, got married and had four children, three daughters and their son Paul. Kermit has fond memories from a childhood full of love; where music and entertainment was part of daily life. The family would listen to music played on the radio at home. The children would perform for their parents and young Paul would tell his Mum that one day he would make a Gold Record and give it to her!

At Princess Road Primary School, Paul enjoyed the music lessons and he learned to play the violin. At his secondary School in Cheetham Hill he learned to play more instruments and got into reggae, soul and punk. At the age of fourteen his music teacher invited him to play drums for his band at Band On The Wall!

On the same day that Paul moved to the Crescent in Hulme, he heard someone playing a turntable below his fl at. It was Anderson, a young man with the same musical taste and they quickly formed a band, The Ruthless Rap Assassins!

Clubs and drugs were a part of that life. One day, Paul’s mate Bez asked if he would like to go to Hacienda to check out the band he was in – it was here Paul was introduced to the Happy Mondays and Shaun Ryder. After Happy Mondays had split Paul joined Shaun in Black Grape. For me, this is a time when I got to photograph the band on stage, back stage and on the tour bus, taking photos that never made it beyond my neg file – for obvious reasons! For Paul his fondest memory is of him and Shaun in the the studio making music in the vocal room. The lyrics came flying out as in a rap!

When Paul is not working he enjoys spending time away from the limelight with his partner Amanda and their two-year-old daughter Xian. After years of taking drugs and feeling lost, he now feel grounded and happy.

So what about his plans for the future?
“Ha ha, the devil laughs when you make plans! I will carry on doing what I’m doing, creating music and poetry. I’m also writing my own comic that will be published, as well as starting to write a novel.” 

I ask Paul which Mancunian he finds the most interesting.
“Stella Grundy, a great lyricist. Her album The Rise and Fall of a Northern Star is brilliant! 

How do you define a Manc? They are straight. If you are shit they tell you!

And his biggest achievement in life? “It was a proud moment when I fulfilled my childhood promise to my Mum and presented her with the Black Grape Gold Record, It’s Great When You’re Straight… Yeah.”

Photo by Karin Albinsson