Chuck Leonard
Encyclopedia
Charles Wesley "Chuck" Leonard (March 30, 1937, Chicago, Illinois – August 12, 2004, Manhattan
) was an American
radio personality at WABC (AM)
in New York City
during the 1960s and 1970s. His deep voice and smoothness resonated across 38 states for 14 years at ABC. During his over 40 year career in broadcasting, Leonard worked virtually every shift and played all styles of music at stations including WWRL
, WABC
, WXLO
, WRKS, WBLS
, WQEW
, WNSW-AM
and WJUX
. He has been inducted in the Museum of Television & Radio
and is known as an African-American pioneer in mainstream radio.
, as program director of college radio WPGU, while majoring in journalism.
), while working part-time at WEBB, Baltimore.
Leonard moved to WWRL (R&B) in New York in June 1965, doing the night shift. Leonard was at WWRL for just seven weeks, before WABC (AM) deejay Dan Ingram
heard him and convinced WABC to hire him. He was the first African-American broadcast personality on a major market Top 40 station.
in 1965. He broke the color barrier for all who followed —the first African American to cross over from R&B radio to mass appeal.
Leonard began in the 11 p.m. to midnight slot, and continued working late nights and Sundays at the station until November 27, 1979. He did the 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. shift following “Cousin” Bruce Morrow and later George Michael. He also gladly handled weekend and fill-in work.
Leonard was the voice for American Contemporary Radio's "Sneak Preview,” a late-night show, where he introduced new songs to listeners. He stayed at WABC until 1979, before moving to WXLO and WRKS.
, Leonard did occasional fill in work, including on Christmas Day. He was heard on the Radio Greats weekends. He did not work full time at WCBS-FM because he was a full time employee for WBLS. CBS-FM welcomed Leonard to fill in any time he could.
, where he was heard on both the Swing Street and Soul Review channels.
at Radio City Music Hall
.
Leonard hosted the The Muppets
from Sesame Street at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden
.
Leonard hosted Janet Jackson
in her first New York concert at Madison Square Garden.
Leonard was the guest ringmaster of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Leonard did advertising voiceovers for Panasonic
, Noxzema
, Coca-Cola
, The Wiz and VIM athletic store, as well as NBC’s Friday Night Videos
. Leonard was also heard in Robert Stigwood's movie Times Square
.
Leonard participated in WABC AM’s Rewound on Memorial Day, May 28, 2001.
Chuck's trademark signoff: "Chuck Leonard, sneeeekin' it to ya!"
"The best that ever did it and got away with it."
"Get the butter and roll me outta here."
"There's one in every crowd, and I'm the one."
"Hey Mom, your son's on the radio"
"Hey Baby!"
"Layin' some heavy music on ya"
Chuck was also a weekly compere at the Roseland Ballroom introducing new club acts in the mid 1980s such as Prince
and Madonna
.
boxing champion, and later served in the Vietnam War.
Leonard died on August 12, 2004, in Manhattan, following lung cancer
. He was 67. He is survived by his wife, Pam, and two daughters, Kyra and Diana.
Chuck Leonard tributes:
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio personality at WABC (AM)
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during the 1960s and 1970s. His deep voice and smoothness resonated across 38 states for 14 years at ABC. During his over 40 year career in broadcasting, Leonard worked virtually every shift and played all styles of music at stations including WWRL
WWRL
WWRL is a radio station in New York City, broadcasting at 1600 kHz AM owned by Access.1 Communications. Since September 1, 2006, its format has been progressive talk radio...
, WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
, WXLO
WXLO
WXLO is a Hot Adult Contemporary radio station that serves the Worcester, Massachusetts market, broadcasting on the FM band at a frequency of 104.5 MHz. The station is licensed in Fitchburg, Massachusetts to Cumulus Media...
, WRKS, WBLS
WBLS
WBLS is an urban adult contemporary FM radio station in New York City, operating on 107.5 MHz. WBLS is owned by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation along with sister station WLIB...
, WQEW
WQEW
WQEW is a Radio Disney affiliate licensed to New York City. Its transmitter is located in Maspeth, Queens. WQEW has a transmitter power of 50,000 watts and is listed as a Clear-channel station...
, WNSW-AM
WNSW
WNSW is a radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, serving Northeastern New Jersey and parts of New York City. The station, formerly known by the call letters WNJR, runs an ethnic and brokered format. It is owned by Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, Inc..-Early years:The station signed on in...
and WJUX
WJUX
WJUX is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to Monticello, New York, USA. The station is currently owned by Bridgelight, LLC....
. He has been inducted in the Museum of Television & Radio
Museum of Television & Radio
The Paley Center for Media, formerly The Museum of Television & Radio and The Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S...
and is known as an African-American pioneer in mainstream radio.
College Radio
Leonard began his broadcasting career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, as program director of college radio WPGU, while majoring in journalism.
Newspaper Experience
After graduation, Leonard worked briefly for the Washington Evening Star (his boss was Carl BernsteinCarl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
), while working part-time at WEBB, Baltimore.
Radio career
WWRL, New York, April–June 1965Leonard moved to WWRL (R&B) in New York in June 1965, doing the night shift. Leonard was at WWRL for just seven weeks, before WABC (AM) deejay Dan Ingram
Dan Ingram
Daniel Trombley "Dan" Ingram is an American Top 40 radio disc jockey with a forty-year career on radio stations such as WABC and WCBS-FM in New York...
heard him and convinced WABC to hire him. He was the first African-American broadcast personality on a major market Top 40 station.
WABC (AM) Radio, New York, 1965-1979
Leonard began at Musicradio 77 WABC (AM) under program director Rick SklarRick Sklar
Rick Sklar was an American radio program director, who while at New York City's WABC was one of the originators of the Top 40 radio format....
in 1965. He broke the color barrier for all who followed —the first African American to cross over from R&B radio to mass appeal.
Leonard began in the 11 p.m. to midnight slot, and continued working late nights and Sundays at the station until November 27, 1979. He did the 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. shift following “Cousin” Bruce Morrow and later George Michael. He also gladly handled weekend and fill-in work.
Leonard was the voice for American Contemporary Radio's "Sneak Preview,” a late-night show, where he introduced new songs to listeners. He stayed at WABC until 1979, before moving to WXLO and WRKS.
WRKS-FM (98.7 KISS-FM), New York, 1987
Leonard did mornings ("The Wake-up Club”) and afternoons in the 1980s.WBLS-FM, New York, June 30, 1989
Leonard played R&B from 7–11 p.m. He always kept ties with WBLS, working weekends, fill-ins and overnights.WQEW-AM, New York, 1996
Leonard played popular standards from the American songbook prior to the station flipping to Radio Disney.WNSW-AM 1430, New York
WNSW was on the air for only two years (March 22, 1999 to March 1, 2001), offering popular standards.WCBS-FM, New York
For WCBS-FMWCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
, Leonard did occasional fill in work, including on Christmas Day. He was heard on the Radio Greats weekends. He did not work full time at WCBS-FM because he was a full time employee for WBLS. CBS-FM welcomed Leonard to fill in any time he could.
SIRIUS Satellite Radio
Leonard joined SIRIUS Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
, where he was heard on both the Swing Street and Soul Review channels.
Compere, host, voiceover...
Leonard introduced Stevie WonderStevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
at Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
.
Leonard hosted the The Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
from Sesame Street at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
.
Leonard hosted Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
in her first New York concert at Madison Square Garden.
Leonard was the guest ringmaster of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Leonard did advertising voiceovers for Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
, Noxzema
Noxzema
Noxzema is a skin cleanser marketed by Alberto-Culver. Alberto-Culver bought the rights to the brand in 2008 from Procter & Gamble and now owns and operates the line of skin-care products...
, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, The Wiz and VIM athletic store, as well as NBC’s Friday Night Videos
Friday Night Videos
Friday Night Videos is an American music video show broadcast on the NBC television network from July 29, 1983 to December 30, 2000, and was the network's attempt to capitalize on the emerging popularity of music videos as seen on MTV...
. Leonard was also heard in Robert Stigwood's movie Times Square
Times Square (film)
Times Square is a 1980 film starring Trini Alvarado, Robin Johnson, and Tim Curry. The plot of the film essentially embodies a punk rock ethic - misunderstood youth forming a band and, through music, articulating their frustrations toward adult authority, personified in the film as parents, the...
.
Leonard participated in WABC AM’s Rewound on Memorial Day, May 28, 2001.
Chuckisms
"You can go through life kicking and screaming or laughing and scratching."Chuck's trademark signoff: "Chuck Leonard, sneeeekin' it to ya!"
"The best that ever did it and got away with it."
"Get the butter and roll me outta here."
"There's one in every crowd, and I'm the one."
"Hey Mom, your son's on the radio"
"Hey Baby!"
"Layin' some heavy music on ya"
Chuck was also a weekly compere at the Roseland Ballroom introducing new club acts in the mid 1980s such as Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
.
Personal life
Leonard was a Golden GlovesGolden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
boxing champion, and later served in the Vietnam War.
Leonard died on August 12, 2004, in Manhattan, following lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. He was 67. He is survived by his wife, Pam, and two daughters, Kyra and Diana.
External links
Chuck Leonard tributes: