Biography
Though frequently disregarded, Leon René played a pivotal role in shaping R&B and the dawn of rock and roll by forging the signature West Coast R&B aesthetic of the 1950s. The songwriter entered the world on February 6, 1902, in Covington, Los Angeles. Alongside his brother Leon, he directed Exclusive and Excelsior Records, among the first black-owned independent labels operating on the West Coast. In the late 1950s the company became Class Records after Preston Love joined as co-owner, a period when René both wrote and produced era-defining successes such as “Rockin’ Robin.” He died in Los Angeles, California, on May 30, 1982, at the age of eighty.