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 1-25 of 36 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-30144 10-in. 5/28/1924 Ida! Sweet as apple cider Frank Crumit Male vocal solo, with ukulele and piano lyricist  
Victor B-30145 10-in. 5/28/1924 Roll them roly boly eyes Frank Crumit Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor B-30146 10-in. 5/28/1924 Oh! Didn't it rain Frank Crumit Male vocal solo, with ukulele and piano composer  
Victor C-31013 12-in. 10/14/1924 Ida! Sweet as apple cider International Novelty Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-46046 10-in. 7/3/1928 Ida! Sweet as apple cider Peggy Hill Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble lyricist  
Victor BVE-53981 10-in. 8/9/1929 Beautiful Richard Barry ; Henry Busse Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BVE-63303 10-in. 7/23/1930 Ida sweet as apple cider Royal Flush Orchestra ; Fess Williams Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor CSHQ-73020 12-in. 6/20/1932 Don't you never tell a lie Eddie Leonard ; Eddie Leonard, Jr. Male vocal solo, with male vocal trio and piano vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter  
Victor CSHQ-73021 12-in. 6/20/1932 Duna Eddie Leonard ; Eddie Leonard, Jr. Male vocal solo, with piano; with male vocal trio and piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Victor CSHQ-73058 12-in. 7/5/1932 Sugar round my door Eddie Leonard ; Eddie Leonard, Jr. Male vocal solo, with male vocal trio and piano; with piano vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter  
Victor BS-04559 10-in. 2/3/1937 Ida, sweet as apple cider Benny Goodman Quartet Jazz/dance quartet lyricist  
Victor BS-058884 10-in. 1/17/1941 Ida! Sweet as apple cider Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Victor PBVE-Test-1305 10-in. 2/25/1931 Ida, sweet as apple cider Bart Macomber Male vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
Victor [Trial 1918-05-23-02] Not documented 5/23/1918 Sweetness Eddie Leonard Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Victor [Trial 1918-05-23-03] Not documented 5/23/1918 Roll them roly boly eyes Eddie Leonard Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Victor [Trial 1924-11-06-02] 10-in. 11/6/1924 Tommy lad Eddie Leonard Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Victor [Trial 1924-11-06-03] 10-in. 11/6/1924 Sweetness Eddie Leonard Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Columbia 3066 10-in. between 1904 and February 1905 Oh, oh, Sallie (I'll love you till I die) Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 4266 10-in. approximately 1909 Lyna oh! Oh! Miss Lyna Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 77852 10-in. 5/27/1918 Sweetness Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell Male vocal duet, with orchestra songwriter  
Columbia 79882 10-in. 6/10/1921 Ida, sweet as apple cider Paul Biese Trio Instrumental trio, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Columbia 145688 10-in. 2/28/1928 Ida! Sweet as apple cider Al Bernard Male vocal solo lyricist  
Columbia 145690 10-in. 2/28/1928 Roll them roly boly eyes Al Bernard Male vocal solo composer, lyricist  
Columbia 148827 10-in. 7/19/1929 Beautiful Jim Andrews ; Lou Gold Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Columbia W148843 10-in. 7/23/1929 Beautiful Pete Woolery Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter  
(Results 1-25 of 36 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Leonard, Eddie," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107676.

Leonard, Eddie. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107676.

"Leonard, Eddie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107676

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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