LEON THOMAS

Thomas is best known for his work with Pharoah Sanders, particularly the 1969 song "The Creator Has a Master Plan" from Sanders' Karma album. Thomas's most distinctive device was that he often broke out into yodeling in the middle of a vocal. This style has influenced singers James Moody and Tim Buckley,among others.

Thomas studied music at Tennessee State University. He also worked with Grant Green, Jimmy Forrest, and Hank Crawford, Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams, Randy Weston, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Louis Armstrong, Carlos Santana, Freddie Hubbard and Oliver Nelson.

Thomas died of heart failure on May 8, 1999.

2. Leon Thomas (born Leon G. Thomas III on August 1, 1993 in Brooklyn) is an American actor, singer, songwriter and record producer, known for his performances in the Broadway productions The Lion King, Caroline, or Change, The Color Purple and for his character Andre Harris on the Nickelodeon series Victorious. He appeared in the film August Rush as Arthur performing the song "La Bamba" and was the singing voice for Tyrone in The Backyardigans. Thomas has also guest starred on Jack's Big Music Show and Just Jordan. He also appeared as Harper in iCarly Saves TV and was featured on The Naked Brothers Band Christmas Special, before starring in the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious as Andre.

After Victorious ended production in July 2012, Leon released his first mixtape Metro Hearts a month later. The show would later end in February 2013, and after that, he sought success as a member of the production duo The Rascals; earning a producer credit on Toni Braxton & Babyface's 2014 Grammy Award winning album Love, Marriage & Divorce, as well as producing for a variety of artists such as Ariana Grande, Ty Dolla $ign, Rick Ross, Drake, Chris Brown and Justine Skye. He also released his second mixtape V1bes on New Year's Day 2014, his first project under the name "Leon Thomas", omitting the "III" from his stage name. In 2018, he released his debut EP Genesis, featuring guest appearances from Buddy, Elle Varner and Tayla Parx.

His debut album Electric Dusk was released in August 2023 via Ty Dolla $ign’s EZMNY imprint and Motown Records. The album featured guest appearances from Benny the Butcher, Victoria Monét and Ty Dolla $ign. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.