A Warm Biography of Tennie Leonard

Tennie Leonard

All Tennie Leonard ever wanted to do since the age of three was to sing to an audience. And for most of her early life she did, with much success.

Growing up on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Tennie sang before she talked. As a child, she appeared on the legendary TED MACK'S AMATEUR HOUR, as well as numerous children's television shows. Summers took her to Vermont's camp Kinni Kinnic, where some show biz "stars in the making" had preceded her... JOAN RIVERS and TINA LOUISE. It was here that her love of performing on stage blossomed and was recognized.

While in high school, Tennie studied opera, but quickly turned to her true loves... Broadway musicals and pop standards. At 17, she co-wrote and recorded her first single, "Sincerely Yours," for RCA/Decca. The B side also got a lot of airplay... "Last Year's Bikini," which sported the lyrics of the day like "I can't get into last year's bikini, there's a little too much of me!"

And now, there's a little more... A very warm, heart-felt WELCOME to all of my visitors. Thank you for inviting me into your homes. On the next few pages, I'd like to share with you, some of my life and accomplishments, and other information which I hope you'll enjoy reading...

Marriage at an early age to music manager and promoter Lenny Stogel brought a daughter, Lauren. Tennie's singing career then turned to cabaret and the nightclub circuit and her star continued its climb.

Her nightly appearances at THE LIVING ROOM on the East Side were attended by such stars as JUDY GARLAND and BUDDY HACKETT. Tennie's career management was handled by Jilly Rizzo, who owned JILLY'S nightclub and was FRANK SINATRA'S great friend. She regularly performed many Catskill hotels and had appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, the Merv Griffin Show, and others. Her star was indeed rising!

Because of personal tragedy, Tennie's musical career took an abrupt and shocking halt. Faced with the necessity of raising a small child alone, Tennie put aside her singing career and entered the business world.

For over a decade, the talent and tenacity of this petite (5'0") dynamo made her ultimately not only a survivor, but a victor. The 80's found Tennie working as an executive with a successful incentive marketing company in New York.

But her talent could lay dormant only so long. Tennie tentatively tested the waters with many lead performances in community theatre musicals and then, as the 90's dawned, she plunged back in.

"Performing in a cabaret setting gives me a fabulous rush," she says. "All I needed was the push from my daughter, now an entertainment attorney. She said, 'Mom, go for it!' So I did."

Tennie's popular appearances at various New York cabarets and now the release of her CD will place her in the proper limelight with the other vocal greats. Her star is again on the rise... and this time there's nothing in its way.

Sincerely yours...
Tennie Leonard

To contact Tennie, please feel free to send e-mail to: bella-voce@verizon.net and know that your messages are always welcome!