Eddie Leonard
Eddie Leonard (October 17, 1870 – July 28, 1941), born Lemuel Gordon Toney, was a vaudevillian and a man considered the greatest American minstrel of his day, at a time when minstrel shows were an acceptable and popular mainstream entertainment in the United States. He was called "last of the great minstrels" in his 1941 obituary in Time. He performed in vaudeville for 45 years before that medium faded in the 1920s, and was known for such songs as "Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider" and "Roly Boly Eyes". He published his memoir titled What a Life I'm Telling You in 1934. |
Birth and Death Data: Born (Richmond (capital city of Virginia, United States of America)), Died July 29, 1941 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1905 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, tenor vocal, composer, songwriter
Notes: Also sings in the baritone range.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-36 of 36 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | W152243 | 10-in. | 7/28/1932 | Marching into minstrelsy, part 1 | Eddie Leonard | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Columbia | W152244 | 10-in. | 7/28/1932 | Marching into minstrelsy, part 2 | Eddie Leonard | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Brunswick | E7267 | 10-in. | 4/10/1928 | Ida! Sweet as apple cider | Harry Richman | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | LAE535 | 10-in. | 6/17/1929 | The Boogy Man is here | Tom Gerunovich Roof Garden Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal trio | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | LAE536 | 10-in. | 6/17/1929 | There’s sugar cane around my door | Tom Gerunovich Roof Garden Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | SA2567 | 10-in. | 11/21/1936 | Ida, sweet as apple cider | Hillbilly Boys ; W. Lee O'Daniel | String band | lyricist | |
| Edison | 18468 | 10-in. | 5/4/1928 | Ida! Sweet as apple cider | Winegar’s Penn Boys | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 18616 | 10-in. | 7/16/1928 | Ida! Sweet as apple cider | Will Donaldson ; Jack Parker ; Variety Players | Male vocal duet, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Edison | 19254 | 10-in. | 6/14/1929 | Roll dem roly boly eyes | Campus Cut-Ups | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Edison | N-328 | 10-in. | 7/16/1928 | Ida! Sweet as apple cider | Will Donaldson ; Jack Parker ; Variety Players | Male vocal duet, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Edison | N-959 | 10-in. | 6/14/1929 | Roll dem roly boly eyes | Campus Cut-Ups | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Leonard, Eddie," accessed January 8, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107676.
Leonard, Eddie. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107676.
"Leonard, Eddie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 8 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Discogs: Eddie Leonard
Grove: Eddie Leonard
IMSLP: Eddie Leonard
IMDb: Eddie Leonard
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Leonard, Eddie, 1875-1941 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n97855892
Wikidata: Eddie Leonard - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5336226
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/1769650
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/403570 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/403570
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