Leonard Wolf on SoundBetter

• Leonard Wolf has worn many hats; music producer, songwriter, composer, music supervisor, vocalist, audio engineer and sound designer to name a few ...

• As a professional musician for over 35 years, Leonard has worked with a wide variety of artists including Garth, Reba, Dr. Hook, Don Everly, Billy Crystal, Tracy Nelson, The Diamonds, Bill Medley, and Tiny Tim.  He also has a children's music project called the Skallywaggle Tails and written and produced a lot of award winning kid's music for Rescue Rex the 911 Dinosaur. He is equally at home with an orchestra, as a solo pianist, or as a one man rock band playing guitar, bass, and drums.

• As a songwriter he has had songs cut by Della Reese, Gospel great Shirley Ceasar, Jazz singer Jaimee Paul, and others both here and in Europe and has contributed to or produced many albums.

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Credits

4 Emmys - Songwriting awards - many TV & Film placements

5 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Leonard Wolf

by Jim C.
Verified
Leonard was great. He helped me take a song and transform it into something better. He did it all; keys, guitar, percussion and more. Thx Leonard!
by BadBromusic
Verified
A great and knowledgeable pianist and producer who takes his time getting down each assignment to the best of its ability. He can do piano and program drum and bass to any song that you want covered or written originally. He can get his assignments down in less than a day! Spectacular man!
by Joel M.
Verified
Leonard is an excellent pianist and an incredible musician, he attended to everything requested so that my track was perfect, also communication is very fluid ... it was a pleasure to work with him
by BadBromusic
Verified
He’s an awesome pianist who places his fantastic spin on the keys with great quality when needed. He goes out of his way to inform to critique and discuss a client about a demo issue so the mix can be made better. He can provide a click track when needed. He doesn’t disappoint.
by Tommy L.
Verified
Warm person, great experience, and really quick responsiveness (especially when you don't live in the same part of the globe)!

Interview with Leonard Wolf

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Here are 2: I have an R&B project with some friends and this tune is one of our group co-writes. I produced, co-wrote and played the keys. https://soundcloud.com/leonard-wolf-3/contrafunkal On youtube I have a SciFi Fantasy Montage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdfE4kF-MDM Not only did i compose, play and mix the music, I edited and animated the video from 60s and 70s scifi movies and artwork.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I played a funk/rock 8 piece band gig last night and today is a piano track for an Italian guitarist/artist covering an 80's English synth pop tune for a Japanese record label. What a world!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Rare that music isn't digital at some point these days and the tech sounds great in the right hands.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: 1000% satisfaction.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Creating and playing music is very satisfying for me. It's my knack and a blessing.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Can you do this? Answer: I always can.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I don't like being pigeon holed. I am very eclectic can get as busy and complex or as simple as you want.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Again, i want to hear an example of what they like and i seek out as much detail as i can get about their goal.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Know what you want. Be able to show me an example. If you are sending a track, tell me the tempo and include a count off.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Pump organ (I used to take a small one to the beach and jam) Piano, Nice acoustic guitar, Drumset, and may I have a Helicopter with pilot?
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: A long time. Started learning Beatles songs and playing in bands in high school and checking out every sort of record from the library to lean from. More bands and studio work in my early 20s in Atlanta. My own eclectic band a few years later. Eventually moved to Nashville at a peak time for the fusion of country with rock, R&B, Gospel, and jazz. Did some road work including Dr. Hook and an Everly Brother. Got to record with all sorts of folks including guys from Elton John, the Wrecking Crew, the Swampers etc. and work with all sorts of amazing writers too. Then started a whole new career writing music for TV and Film winning many awards including 4 Emmys.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My roots are the Old School Soul and the Blues but all rock and country and even pop and jazz share that common starting point IMHO which are an amalgam of historic world music sounds colliding and combining mainly with R&B in the Southern USA and then bouncing back to the world. I'm very eclectic and love it all.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Anyone in the first list of favorites possible. It would be great just to experience how they do what they do and even better if I could contribute to what they were doing.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I have learned a lot by working with great engineers and asking what and why they are doing what they are doing. I've learned they have go to pieces of gear and ways of using them for certain tasks like hitting an 1176 on a vocal mix hard, to where the needle stays to the left to get a fat solid vocal sound.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop, rock, blues, and country.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Feel - I have been playing a long time and want what I create and add to feel great.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I think I have a good sense of only doing what works for the song. When I mix, if there is time I like to accentuate what the best and coolest thing going on in every measure.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For tracks, I often start with an electric piano and add rhythm instruments. With overdubs I just chart and go for it and then get client feedback because I want them 1000% satisfied.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Universal Audio interface with many analogue style plug ins - Logic Audio and ProTools - Vintage Synths including Mini Moog and Voyetra 8, Moog Theremin, 100 year old Kimball Grand, Nord Electro, Strats, 67 SG, Danelectro Baritone, Taylor acoustic. Virtual Instruments include LA Session Strings, Miroslav Philharmonic, Music Lab Guitars
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: tough question as so many do. Songwriter/Artists: The Beatles, Jimmy Webb, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Jagger/Richards, Joni Mitchel, James Brown, Otis, Aretha, Jack White, Motown, Stax, Dr. John, Leon Russel, Allen Toussaint ... Musicians: Hendrix, Otis Spann, Nicky Hopkins, Oscar Peterson, Keith Emerson, Bernard Purdie, James Jamerson, Booker T, Larry Knechtel, Muscle Shoals Swampers, Allman Brothers, Lowell George and Neville Brothers ... Engineers: All the great ones
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: tracks via the internet and overdubs plus playing live gigs and sessions