A.J. Leonard's Biography

A.J. started playing ukulele 30 years ago in Melbourne when there were very few players in the whole of Australia, learning specialist techniques from one of the veterans of the ukulele hey-day of the 1920’s. His first uke was a second-hand Australian made Maton soprano that cost $20. In 1978 he saw a Canadian musician performing on a very exotic looking 6 string ukulele. This turned out to be the first major turning point and a few months later A.J. received his first Kamaka ukulele.

In 2006 A.J. visited Hawaii for to purchase a new ukulele and whilst there sowed the seeds for what was to become his first ukulele-based album, Tales From the Tropics.This album has been described as “giving the listener the break from the work world and escape into a stress free, relaxing and peaceful time… Leonard has produced a wonderful album with a therapeutic feel to it and every song is a delight to listen to”

The album is made up of songs and instrumentals with influences ranging from The Beach Boys (Away From It All and Meet Me In Hawaii), The Shadows (Big Island), traditional Hawaiian music (Makawao), shades of the Orient (The Sound of Rain) and contemporary trance (The Road To Hana)  

A.J.’s second album entitled 12 Seasons: Two Part Preludes For The Ukulele is an instrumental recording comprised of twelve pieces, one in every key based on a concept that started way back with J.S. Bach. His third album, Blue Heaven, is a collection of classic songs from the 1920’s and 30’s, a period in which popular song came into it's own. It will always be seen as a golden era of song writing where the template for the modrn pop song was forged and arguably never surpassed. Another collection of originals in the tropical vein, More Tales From The Tropics followed and for album number five A.J. teamed up with fellow musician and arranger David Billings at his studio to record American Songbook. The latest release is a collection of all time favourites from the 60's entitled Favourites.

A recent US tour included performances at the New York Ukulele Festival and the Ukulele Academy of North Carolina. He also performed and tutored on the West Coast at Santa Cruz (host to the largest ukulele club in the world) and at the Wine Country Ukulele Retreat near Monterey.