Biography
Not to be confused with the yodeling vocalist Leon Thomas, the performer entered the world as Thomas Leon Eason yet chose his middle name for stage purposes, billing himself as Leon Eason on the handful of sides he managed to cut. Among them was a 1958 Blue Note single pairing “I’m in the Mood for Love” with “Lazy River,” pressings of which have since become prized collector’s items. The former track later surfaced on the vocal compilation Blue Velvet, an inclusion that fostered an unintended impression of the artist. Louis Armstrong’s example prompted Eason to take up the trumpet; already a multi-instrumentalist and dancer who had navigated the circuits of early vaudeville, he stood apart from the era’s prevailing make-out crooners.
Violin and clarinet were the instruments he first mastered during his teenage years. He entered vaudeville initially as a dancer rather than a musician, sharing numerous routines with Herbert Harper. Armstrong’s recordings inspired him to practice trumpet, and by 1930 his proficiency earned him a chair in Hubert Raveneau’s ensemble. Throughout the first half of the decade he belonged to the Alabams, the group that backed Buck & Bubbles among other acts. In 1936 he formed his own unit and found steady work at clubs in New York City and New Jersey. Albany became his regular base in the early 1940s until a brief Army hitch—lasting under two years—intervened. By 1944 he had resumed performing, traveling with Gene Phipps, Grachan Moncur’s Strollers, and additional outfits.
Between 1948 and 1951 he held a chair in Red Lincoln’s band and appeared on multiple recordings. In 1952 he shared bills with Jack Alberson before shifting almost entirely to solo engagements. Beginning in 1956 his trio supplied the principal attraction at Pitt’s Place in Newark for more than ten years, though the venue, like the city itself, offered meager surroundings. The Blue Note date occurred while Capitol Records owned the label and was actively seeking hit singles.
Violin and clarinet were the instruments he first mastered during his teenage years. He entered vaudeville initially as a dancer rather than a musician, sharing numerous routines with Herbert Harper. Armstrong’s recordings inspired him to practice trumpet, and by 1930 his proficiency earned him a chair in Hubert Raveneau’s ensemble. Throughout the first half of the decade he belonged to the Alabams, the group that backed Buck & Bubbles among other acts. In 1936 he formed his own unit and found steady work at clubs in New York City and New Jersey. Albany became his regular base in the early 1940s until a brief Army hitch—lasting under two years—intervened. By 1944 he had resumed performing, traveling with Gene Phipps, Grachan Moncur’s Strollers, and additional outfits.
Between 1948 and 1951 he held a chair in Red Lincoln’s band and appeared on multiple recordings. In 1952 he shared bills with Jack Alberson before shifting almost entirely to solo engagements. Beginning in 1956 his trio supplied the principal attraction at Pitt’s Place in Newark for more than ten years, though the venue, like the city itself, offered meager surroundings. The Blue Note date occurred while Capitol Records owned the label and was actively seeking hit singles.