The Paul Leslie Hour

Dick Hyman is a pianist, organist, arranger, performing & recording artist, composer and music director. If one word could describe Hyman's career in music, it would be "prolific." With more than 100 albums recorded under his own name, his albums have been interpretations of all eras of American music, from ragtime and early jazz, to recordings of the great composers like Irving Berlin, Harold...

Dave Mackay is a pianist, keyboardist, singer-songwriter, accompanist and recording artist. Originally from Leicestershire, England his fascination with music and the art of recording has been lifelong. Mackay moved to the United States and studied at the Berklee College of Music. Currently based in Los Angeles, he's continued his craft of writing and recording songs. Since 2016 he's been performi...

Bonnie Montgomery is a classically trained opera singer, but also a singer-songwriter in the country music genre. She's traveled the world singing and performing and even wrote a modern folk opera: Billy Blythe , written about the childhood of Arkansas native Bill Clinton. She joins us to talk about all of this as well as her forthcoming independent studio album: Forever . Support The Paul Leslie...

Kate McGarry is a jazz vocalist and songwriter. Called "a voice that soars with abundant hope," she joins us to talk about her first trio album, The Subject Tonight is Love . McGarry and her collaborators Keith Ganz and Gary Versace will be celebrating the release of the album with a performance at The Velvet Note in Alpharetta, Georgia on February 2nd and 3rd. Future performances will be held in...

Dan Barrett is a trombonist, cornetist and musical arranger in a unique world of jazz known as the "traditional" form. Barrett has performed and/or recorded with the likes of Benny Goodman, Rosemary Clooney, Doc Cheatham, and many others. He's played music for many motion pictures such as The Cotton Club and Brighton Beach Memoirs , and Woody Allen’s films Mighty Aphrodite , Everyone Says I Love Y...

David Was is a man who lives at the corners of journalism and music. He goes by "David Was" in the world of music, and he is the stage brother and other half of the writing/producing collaboration Was (Not Was). A Detroit, Michigan native, his journey into the public sphere began as a journalist and jazz critic. David Was has had a big mark in the music world not just with his band, but also as a...

There's never been a story like the Pia Zadora story. Her stage career began at age 7. She's been featured in major motion pictures, received numerous awards and has won over many people with her music. A performing and recording artist of several genres, Pia Zadora's life has intersected with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Don Rickles, Jermaine Jackson and many others. On the cusp of releasing her l...

Jordan Critz is an award-winning composer and producer based in Nashville. Critz's music has been heard on many recordings as well as in film and television including Disney, National Geographic, Apple, CBS, PBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, Lifetime, TEDx. It is our pleasure to present an interview with a very talented and versatile artist whose work will continue to be heard and enjoyed by many. Support The...

Folksinger, banjoist, performing and recording artist Pete Seeger (May 3, 1919 - January 27, 2014) definitely made his mark on the world. He earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Harvard Arts Medal, the Kennedy Center Award, The Presidential Medal of the Arts, Two Grammys, and membership in both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many would say that Pete Seege...

Hargus Melvin "Pig" Robbins is one of the great legends in music and has been called the most recorded pianist in the history of recorded music. Better known as "Pig" Robbins, he's played on some of the most iconic tracks: Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces," Roger Miller's "King of the Road," and George Jones's "White Lightening." Some of the iconic artists Pig Robbins has worked with include Bob Dy...

Engelbert Humperdinck is the definition of what it means to be an iconic singer. The youngest boy in a large family with ten children, Engelbert Humperdinck, from Leicester, England, he grew up in Madras, India. In his career as a performing and recording artist, Humperdinck has sold approximately 150 million records, including 64 million gold and 24 million platinum records. Know as "the King of...

Frank Sinatra, Jr. was born on January 10, 1944. Music was definitely in Frank Sinatra, Jr.’s blood. Like his legendary father, Frank Sinatra, Mr. Sinatra was a singer, performer and recording artist. You will find Frank Sinatra, Jr. was a wealth of information, a very interesting and passionate man as well as a lover of the Great American Songbook, those songs written in the early half of the 20t...

Jerome Garfunkel (sometimes called Jerry) is someone who knows that life is a learning experience. Also known as Dr. COBOL to some, for his contributions to COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) a computer programming language. Jerome Garfunkel lives a full life with many interests, a technologist, writer, educator, calligrapher, lecturer and motorcyclist, he has traveled around the globe. It...

This mostly never before heard interview with Maya Angelou was recorded in June 2008. Maya Angelou was a poet, educator, historian, best-selling writer, actress, playwright, Civil Rights activist, producer, director, musician and important figure in American literature. This interview focuses on her little known career as a Calypso singer and recording artist. Special thanks to Kevin Hooper for au...

Sammy Rimington is one of the leading advocates and practitioners of New Orleans revival jazz today. He's been recording and performing professionally for more than 50 years. He's worked with many of the legends in music and has contributed to hundreds of recordings. Born in the United Kingdom, Sammy Rimington is a clarinetist and reed player. We're honored to welcome him to The Paul Leslie Hour f...

Julie Gold, the songwriter of "From a Distance" shares her story and how her song became a favorite around the world. "From a Distance" has been recorded and performed in many languages as well as at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. It was played in outer space. It has been recorded by the likes of Bette Midler, Nanci Griffith, Cliff Richard and many others. Although the interview was recorded b...

Singer-songwriter and recording artist Gary Portnoy has written many songs recorded by both himself and other artists, however his most famous composition is "Where Everybody Knows Your Name," known to many as the theme song to the television sitcom "Cheers." It's the kind of interview I find the most enjoyable. You know the artist's work, but you don't know what their voice sounds like or how the...

Stacey Kent one of the most successful and internationally recognized jazz singers and recording artists with over 2 million records sold. 2017 saw the release of her first orchestral album, I Know I Dream, in a discography of more than 15 albums. Meet this incredible artist here on The Paul Leslie Hour . Support The Paul Leslie Hour by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/...

Lloyd Price, like so many great musicians is from Louisiana. An inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, he's one of the absolute legends in popular music. Known for his songs like "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" "Personality" and "Just Because," Price's songs have also been recorded/performed by everyone from The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Pa...

Monica Mancini is a Concord Records artist who has twice been nominated for a Grammy. A jazz vocalist, Mancini is not limited to the American Songbook (although she does this very well), in fact her most recent album I've Loved These Days features interpretations of classic rock songs from the 60s. The daughter of the legendary composer Henry Mancini, Monica is lively, interesting and a pleasure t...

Pianist, conductor, musical director, composer and producer Frank Owens has recorded and performed with Johnny Mathis, Lena Horne, Chubby Checker, Barbara McNair, Petula Clark, and others. Frank Owens was also the musical director for David Letterman's first television show which was broadcast in the morning called The David Letterman Show. In addition to a great interview, Frank Owens surprised u...

Susan Birkenhead is one of the most in-demand theatre lyricists. She made her Broadway debut as a contributor to Working in 1978. Her songwriting has been featured in many productions both on and off Broadway, including Jelly's Last Jam , Triumph of Love , High Society , Hats! , Radio Girl and most recently The Secret Life of Bees . Susan Birkenhead has written with some of the best composers incl...

Otis Redding III is the son of the legendary Otis Redding, the King of Soul. Redding was bestowed with his father's talents and is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, performing and recording artist. Otis Redding III speaks with a sense of humility, but yet continues the tradition of musical excellence associated with the name "Redding." Like the song his father wrote, Otis Redding III is full of res...

Jeff Altman is an entertainer who focuses on sleight of hand card magic. He's also had an incredible career as a stand up comic and actor. He's acted in such television shows as The Dukes of Hazzard , Night Court and Baywatch . Jeff Altman has been a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson as well as more than 40 appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman . In fact, David Letterman cal...

Tony Oppedisano's background and passion is in music. One of Frank Sinatra's close friends and his road manager, Oppedisano could play the guitar, bass and piano as well as sing. This foundation is one of the reasons Tony bonded with one of the greatest singers in the world, Frank Sinatra. His friendship and professional experience with Sinatra segued into his work managing the comic legend (and S...