Carol Leigh

A spirited and lively vocalist, Carol Leigh has sustained the traditions of classic jazz, Dixieland, and swing through her energetic stage presence. During her formative years she absorbed the music from her two older brothers’ record collections and from radio broadcasts. At age sixteen an in-person encounter with the ensembles of Turk Murphy and Bob Scobey left a lasting mark. For several years she held conventional office positions before wedding trombonist James Leigh in 1953. Professional singing began in 1958, coinciding with her husband’s appointment to the faculty of San Francisco State College. Her first steady engagement was with the band led by pianist-trombonist Alan Hall; she later performed six nights a week at the Roaring ’20s San Francisco nightspot known as the Hotsy Totsy and appeared alongside Wingy Manone, Slim Gaillard, Wellman Braud, and Pops Foster. Throughout the 1960s she accepted an array of musical assignments, occasionally interpreting contemporary material.

Carol Leigh ended her marriage to James Leigh in 1973 and wed saxophonist Russ Whitman four years afterward. That same year she sat in with the Original Salty Dogs Jazz Band; by 1974 she was appearing with the group at numerous festivals across the East and Midwest. Although the musicians reside in widely scattered locations and therefore convene infrequently, Leigh regularly joins their occasional reunions and participates in their recordings.

Beyond her association with the Original Salty Dogs, she performed with Turk Murphy from 1979 to 1981, as well as with Wild Bill Davison, Dick Wellstood, James Dapogny, Neville Dickie, the Hall Brothers Jazz Band, Canada’s Climax Jazz Band, the Black Eagles, and Japan’s New Orleans Rascals. Her recordings have appeared principally on Stomp Off and GHB; one of her strongest efforts is the duet album with pianist James Dapogny titled If You Don’t, I Know Who Will.