A member of the West Coast Songwriters Association, Leanne has made her mark in the songwriting world through heavy self-promotion at concerts, open mics, on the web,and at songwriters conferences. In 2007, Leanne won a Commercial Jazz Composition Grant from her local college music fraternity, Mu Phi Epsilon. Other past awards include the Semper Fidelis Award and the South Valley Civic Theater Musical Theater Scholarship (both in 1994). In 2005, Leanne won 4th place out of 700 in the American Idol Underground web contest for best song “Sunny Skies”.
Born and raised in the small agricultural town of Hollister,California, Leanne earned her B.A. in Music Performance from San Jose State University. She has a choral conducting background which helped her direct many community musicals and variety shows. She also had the privilege of directing and singing with famed composer and lyricist Steven Schwartz in Stephen Schwartz and Friends Concert (2001).
Leanne has taught in the public school system for six years and currently holds a teaching position at Crittenden Middle School in Mountain View, California.
She has a definite and appealing sound that will produce many fans for her. ~Louie
Bellson, Drummer
Leanne Weatherly is the next major voice to watch out for - she's got clarity, passion,and fun
arrangements that anyone would enjoy, all wrapped up in a very bright future, ~Concord
Artist Taylor Eigsti.
”Recognized for her ability as a songwriter, Leanne Weatherly, a music teacher by profession, is also a
wonderful vocalist with two previous albums to her credit. Go and Find..., her third CD release, is one of
those light jazz vocal recordings that presents the gentler side of jazz. The album contains five
originals including the title tune from her debut recording, Chocolate and Roses, as well as a Latin jazz
arrangement of Duke Ellington, Caravan, and a bouncy, hip rendition of Billie Holiday, God Bless the
Child. Weatherly uses no less than twenty musicians playing on different tracks and offers a big band
sound on such tunes as Simple Things and Sunny Skies. The lady shares vocals with special guest Dan
Fryer on the lovely Christine McVie composition Songbird against the background of Tom Tomasello
guitar and Jeff Rzepiela foray on the flute for one tasteful song. Tomasello plays a major part on this
recording providing many arrangements as well playing the piano, strings and the drums. Other special
songs include the smooth-like title tune, Oo So Cool where the lady offers some stylish scatting, the
mellow Midnight at the Oasis, and the soft melodic The Water is Wide. For an enjoyable and relaxing
session of music I urge you to search for Leanne Weatherly Go and Find and let her oft described
colorful and expressive vocal style impress you as she has this listener.”
~Edward Blanco, Ejazz News
”Leanne Weatherly is a voice that is described as “pure”, and at times one can tell her influences come
from two to three generations ago, and nothing wrong with that. Go and Find... (self-released) has the
class and beauty of jazz and pop singers of the past, but she can also do things with a contemporary
touch, which means she will not be limited by her own interests. She writes a good amount of her
material and one can tell why she is a part of the West Coast Songwriters Association, this lady knows
about the art of the song. Let me repeat that for emphasis: this lady knows about the art of the song.
It's nice to hear someone who sings her own words and does it as a way to say “this is from me, this is
me, this is what I am about”, which you can hear in songs like “Simple Things”, “Go and Find”, “Oo So
Cool”, and “Chocolate and Roses”. When she does cover other songs, she does so by understanding the
song, the music, and its intent, and in turn becoming the new voice of the song. Her versions of
”Caravan”, “Midnight At The Oasis”, “God Bless The Child”, and even Fleetwood Mac's “Songbird” are
remarkable, and she is backed by a wide range of musicians who know how to paint the soundscape
with their playing.” ~John Book, The Run Off Groove #204
”The kind of vocalist in the know jazzbos rave about, Weatherly is clearly poised for breaking out of the
hipster ghetto and letting the rest of the world know about her gifts. Simply a vocalist that knows her
way around a song and has jazz in her soul, this vocalist is more than a thrush that needs to be pointed
in the right direction to look good. With a mature edge that she uses to her advantage, this is aimed at
the kind of Starbucks customer that wants something more than something that full of beans. A tasty
taste treat throughout.”~Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap.
Awards
2007 - Commercial Jazz Composition Grant
2005 - 4th place out of 700 in the American Idol
Underground web contest for best song
Sunny Skies.
1994 - Semper Fidelis Award
1994 - South Valley Civic Theater Musical
Theater Scholarship
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