Biography

Leonard Geoffrey Feather (1914-1994) was raised in an upper middle class Jewish family in Hampstead, England. His father ran a chain of clothing stores and later in life became involved in real estate. Feather developed an early appreciation for music. He did not attend college, principally because of the economic climate following the Depression. His parents arranged for him to take an extended trip to France and Germany. There he learned a great deal about jazz and began his long career as a journalist.

Wanting to be in the creative heart of jazz, Feather made his first trip to the U.S. in 1935. He immersed himself in the musical scene. Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, Feather moved to the U.S. permanently. Thus began a long and distinguished career profoundly impacting the world of jazz.

Feather made his new home in New York City. While visiting a friend in California in 1945, he was introduced to Jane Leslie Larrabee. He was instantly taken with her and proposed the next day. They were married a few weeks later and remained together for life. Leonard and Jane Feather had one child, Billie Jane Lee Lorraine Feather, named in part after her godmother, Billie Holiday. The Feathers moved to Los Angeles in 1960, and Lorraine Feather went on to become a respected singer, composer, and lyricist in her own right.

Career

Leonard Feather was held in high esteem in the jazz world. His involvement with the industry spanned six decades and his list of accomplishments was impressive. He was involved in almost every aspect of the music industry.

Feather was not an artist manager or talent promoter. When he was once characterized as a manager he pushed back, reflecting that not only was he not managing others, but he could have used a good manager himself.

Feather did work as a press agent from 1941 to 1943, but he was never really a publicist. After less than three years he gave up his two remaining accounts, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, and returned to his journalism work. He later did not even like being reminded he had ever been in the publicity game. Feather had a hand in almost every aspect of jazz music: journalist and critic, arranger and producer, musician and author, teacher and historian. His talent and extensive contributions went into records, concerts, radio, television, movies, books, and periodicals.

Awards:

• 1964—First Grammy award given by National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences for album notes (The Ellington Era)
• 1971—Nominated for an Emmy for producing ‘The Jazz Show’, a series seen on KNBC, Los Angeles
• 1978—Corporation for Public Broadcasting award for excellence in local programming on ‘The Leonard Feather Show’, KUSC, Los Angeles
• 1981—Citation from Mayor Tom Bradley and L.A. City Council at a banquet organized by Harold R. Udkoff to establish Leonard Feather scholarships at the Duke Ellington School of Arts in Washington, DC
• 1983—International Critics’ Poll, Down Beat magazine: Lifetime Achievement award
• 1984—Awarded honorary doctorate of music at Berklee College of Music in Boston
• 1985—Greater Los Angeles Press Club Journalism award: Certificate of excellence in entertainment reporting, Los Angeles Times
• 1986—National Association of Jazz Educators award for fifty years of contribution to jazz education and journalism