Jack Leonard (February 10, 1913 - June 17, 1988) was an American big band singer who recorded many songs with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra,
One of the top male vocalists of the late 1930s, Brooklyn born Jack Leonard was rivalled only by Bing Crosby in popularity. Leonard got his start singing at a roadside stand on Long Island and worked on the government relief team that built New York’s Jones Beach in the early 1930s. He was singing in Bert Block’s orchestra in 1935 when Tommy Dorsey hired him away. Dorsey also took trumpeter Joe Bauer and arranger Axel Stordahl, then known as Odd Stordahl. Together the men formed a vocal group call the Three Esquires. It was as a soloist, though, that Leonard would achieve stardom, recording more than 200 songs with the orchestra with such classics as “Marie,” “All the Things You Are,” “Our Love,” and “Indian Summer.”
Leonard was a shy, handsome man who was liked by all. He was very near-sighted but refused to wear glasses in public so as not to spoil his romantic image. His departure from Dorsey’s orchestra in November of 1939 was a surprise to his band mates.
The rumor was that Dorsey had grown suspicious of Leonard’s intentions, fearing that he was going to leave soon for a solo career, and had forced him out, though Leonard himself tried to dispel it at the time, saying he just needed a break and would return soon. He never did. He was replaced in the band by Allan DeWitt, who failed to work out and was replaced after only one month by Frank Sinatra.
The rumor was that Dorsey had grown suspicious of Leonard’s intentions, fearing that he was going to leave soon for a solo career, and had forced him out, though Leonard himself tried to dispel it at the time, saying he just needed a break and would return soon. He never did. He was replaced in the band by Allan DeWitt, who failed to work out and was replaced after only one month by Frank Sinatra.
Leonard and first wife Edna Ryan |
Discharged in 1945, Leonard continued singing professionally throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s, though he never achieved the level of recognition he had during the late 1930s. He signed a two-year deal with Majestic Records in December 1945 and made three minor silver screen appearances in the late 1940s. He also had his own television program in 1949 and appeared as one of the hosts for Broadway Open House in 1951. He made a brief return to the recording studio with Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra in 1951, and in 1956, he performed at the memorial concert in tribute to the late bandleader.
Leonard also served as Nat King Cole’s business manager and later worked in music publishing before retiring in the 1970s. Jack Leonard died from cancer in 1988 at the Motion Picture & Television Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hill. He was 75.
(Info from BandChirps)
Jack Leonard, backed by the Modernaires, receates two of his great Tommy Dorsey hits, "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" and"Marie" in this rare 1983 TV appearance.
Jack Leonard, backed by the Modernaires, receates two of his great Tommy Dorsey hits, "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" and"Marie" in this rare 1983 TV appearance.
For “This is It: The Best Of Jack Leonard & Tommy Dorsey” go here:
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1. I’M IN A DANCING MOOD
2. WHERE ARE YOU
3. IF MY HEART COULD ONLY TALK
4. YOU’RE HERE, YOU’RE THERE, YOU’RE EVERYWHERE
5. DEDICATED TO YOU
6. MARIE
7. SWEET IS THE WORD FOR YOU
8. LOVE IS NEVER OUT OF SEASON
9. HAVE YOU GOT ANY CASTLES, BABY?
10. AN OLD FLAME NEVER DIES
11. IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT
12. WHO KNOWS
13. IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO
14. JOSEPHINE
15. WHO
16. IN A MISSION BY THE SEA
17. JUST LET ME LOOK AT YOU
18. YEARNING
19. THE LAMP IS LOW
20. SWEET SUE JUST YOU
21. MIDNIGHT ON THE TRAIL
22. HEAVEN CAN WAIT
23. THIS IS IT
24. OUR LOVE
25. HOW AM I TO KNOW
26. BLUE ORCHIDS.
As lovers of the Big Band era know very well, Tommy Dorsey’s first vocalist was Jack Leonard. This is the first ever CD to celebrate the partnership that was so much a part of the Big Band sound. Leonard became an immensely popular singer, and through a series of hit records helped put Dorsey at the very top. This CD collection presents 26 great tracks from Leonard’s period with the band, tracks that include several of their hit parade successes as well as very fine recordings that are not as well known. All tracks have been digitally remastered.
I couldn’t find a download of this album but I did find all individual songs as mp3’s from various sources, so quality may vary. Most are from Jazz On Line.
Thanks for taking the time to create this enjoyable compilation!
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