Detroit Jazz Hero
Leonard King made it his life’s work to champion Detroit’s extraordinarily rich music scene well before Mark Stryker’s critically lauded book and documentary Jazz from Detroit turned it into a hot topic.The drummer, raconteur, vocalist, bandleader, producer, historian, griot, and record label owner is at the center of a treasure trove of recordings via his Uuquipleu Records, which includes rare tracks covering rock, soul, R&B, blues, and jazz from the 1960s to present. It’s a singular repository documenting the evolution of Detroit music talents, and only one aspect of our Hero’s legacy.
Born in 1948, King loved music and records from infancy. His father, L.C. King, stocked Detroit jukeboxes, bringing copies of the 45s home. He received his first record player at age 3, and in 1957 started studying music at the renowned Grinnell Brothers Studios. By 1963 King had formed his first professional jazz group, and made his first recording in 1967. After a tour of duty in Vietnam, he joyfully returned to Detroit where he found his true groove as a drummer and vocalist for organists. In 1973, he joined Lyman Woodard’s funk/fusion trio and played with the B3 expert until his death in 2009. He gained even more exposure after joining saxophonist/flautist James Carter’s Organ Combo in 1998, touring internationally.
Today, King celebrates the talent of Motor City musicians with The Lyman Woodard Organization for the Arts. The nonprofit organization presents concerts at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in St. Clair Shores featuring one of his three working ensembles: The Proportioned Orchestra, Oopapada, or the Dr. Professor Leonard King Orchestra. As a sideman he supplies the pulse for Alberto Nacif’s Cuban jazz septet Aguanko and blues pianist Mark Braun’s trio. He provides vocals for the Planet D Nonet and is a featured artist at the Detroit Institute of Arts Friday Nights Live series. While forging ahead, he continues to preserve treasures of the past. Photos, stories, anecdotes abound on his website which links to his online autobiography, Visger Road Playground.
King’s crystal-clear memory and attention to detail provides an invaluable account of the development of multiple Detroit musical styles and talents. For his generosity to the music community, creativity, admirable professional talents, and mentorship, he is a worthy recipient of the 2026 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Hero Award.
—Linda Yohn, 2022 Detroit Jazz Hero and JJA Conover-McPartland Award Winner
