In this episode of Listening with Leckrone, Mike showcases the unique style and talents of The Boswell Sisters, a highly influential vocal group that helped popularize swing for a larger audience.

In this episode of Listening with Leckrone, Mike details the career of Bing Crosby, one of the world's first multimedia stars. From radio to television to movies, Bing's voice reached an unprecedented audience and his influence on music and culture is still felt to this day. 

In Episode 5 of "Listening with Leckrone," Mike unpacks how the "Duke Ellington Sound" wasn't simply the doing of the legendary pianist and composer, but largely due to the talents and contributions of his many bandmates, folks like Johnny Hodges, Bubber Miley, and Tricky Sam Nanton. This show is all about them. 

In today’s episode, Mike takes us through the life and music of two jazz giants, Joe Venuti and Eddie Lane. This duo revolutionized their instruments and shaped the sound of jazz guitar and violin playing for decades to come.

In this episode of Listening with Leckrone, we focus on a single song, Hoagy Carmichael's legendary "Stardust." With over 1,500 recordings, "Stardust" lends itself to a wide range of musical styles and interpretations. Mike guides us through a handful of these renditions, exploring how each artist put their own spin on the iconic song. 

When people hear the term “Crooner,” they often think of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, or Bing Crosby. Although these singers could be categorized as the crooning type, their music was largely influenced by the works of an even earlier set of singers who popularized “Crooning” as a genre. In this episode, Mike focuses on these earlier Crooners, from Gene Austin, to Russ Columbo, to Rudy Vallée to Whispering Jack Smith.

Our debut episode takes us back to the early career of Louis Armstrong. Host Mike Leckrone follows a young Louis' journey as a gigging musician, bouncing from band to band, from to Chicago to New York then back to Chicago. In listening to his earliest recordings, we begin to hear Louis find his voice as an artist and witness the makings of a legend.