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Leonard Feather
American jazz journalist, producer, and songwriter
Also known as: Leonard Geoffrey Feather
Quick Facts
- In full:
- Leonard Geoffrey Feather
- Born:
- Sept. 13, 1914, London, Eng.
- Died:
- Sept. 22, 1994, Encino, Calif., U.S. (aged 80)
- Notable Works:
- “The Encyclopedia of Jazz”
Leonard Feather (born Sept. 13, 1914, London, Eng.—died Sept. 22, 1994, Encino, Calif., U.S.) was a British-born American jazz journalist, producer, and songwriter whose standard reference work, The Encyclopedia of Jazz, and energetic advocacy placed him among the most influential of jazz critics. A writer for English popular music journals in the early 1930s, Feather moved to the United States in 1935 and soon thereafter began producing records by major artists, including saxophonists Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins; he also sometimes arranged music and played piano for the recordings. In the early 1940s Feather worked as publicist for Duke Ellington. ...(100 of 258 words)