Don Leppard was among the busiest musicians in the city for four decades, adding his signature timekeeping to nearly a dozen well-known jazz groups.
“Don made the Dan Lapp Quartet swing like crazy over 20 years. He always played with a devilish grin, and no one played [Frank Sinatra’s] Old Devil Moon quite like him.” “He always had real steady timing, and took care of business,” Smith said. “He was a team player in a rhythm section. But when it was time to take a solo, he’d step up to the plate.”
The Don Leppard Quartet and the 17-piece Don Leppard Big Band, both formed in Victoria, were imminently successful, leading to national and international headlining tours in addition to dates backing Johnny Mathis, Engelbert Humperdinck, the Temptations, and the Moody Blues. His name appears on more than 50 studio recordings. He also taped upwards of 600 television appearances, according to his family.