Being inspired by musical greats such as George Duke, Stevie Wonder, Oscar Peterson, and Alex Bugnon led Leon to develop a deep passion for music at a very young age.
As a child, Leon recall’s “I would listen to the radio and when a popular hit song was being played, I would attempt to pluck out the various instruments that made up the song. I always felt a great sense of accomplishment from being able to distinguish the individual instruments, hooks, and beats that made the song.” It was this sense of accomplishment that instituted Leon’s drive to play and create music as much as he possibly could.
Leon honed his musical skills and talents by attending Detroit’s Center for Creative Studies and enrolling in classes centered on musical composition and jazz theory at Gross Pointe Conservatory and Wayne State University. Early in his career, Leon performed at many local clubs and quickly became respected in and around the Detroit area as an outstanding keyboardist. Many industry artists soon recognized Leon’s “Urban Smooth Jazz” playing style and began requesting that he accompany them on tour. As a result, Leon began traveling to many cities throughout the United States, playing for mega artists and groups such as The Floaters, Jones & Matthews of the Platters, Mark Channing, and Alicia Meyers.
After touring for many years, Leon sought to heighten his career by channeling his creative energy into producing and composing music. While maintaining his jazz roots, Leon began composing music for various R&B artists. Leon worked closely with Dream Boy, an artist who was signed to Quincy Jones’ Quest Recording Label. Then, in 1993, Leon wrote music accompanying the vocals of Detroit R&B/jazz singer, Veronica Crockette. After working with these artists, Leon began focusing on his own jazz masterpiece titled “Compilations”, which was released in 1999 to raving reviews.
Today, Leon is owner of Air-Tyte Productions, and is busy creating Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop, Electronica, Ambient, and New Age music in a variety of entertainment venues. Leon’s music can be heard on reality shows such as “America’s Next Top Model” and “Made in the USA”, as well as on ABC’s hit soap opera “All My children”. Leon’s music is also being aired on the popular FOX show “America’s Most Wanted” and on The Weather Channel. In addition to all of this, Leon released his 3rd jazz CD entitled “Island Dance” in May, 2007 and is currently working on a New Age CD set to be released in 2008.
It is obvious from his great body of work that Leon Ayers Jr. is a musical mastermind who will be around for a very long time. Leon has shown his creative versatility by consistently creating quality products for various genres of music. Keep your eyes and ears fixed on Leon Ayers Jr. as he continues to rock the entertainment world.
Website :- www.leonayersjr.com
