Leroy Smalley

Cleveland, 1961-1978

1969 ad...those jobs are no longer available....

Leroy Smalley was a long lasting club performer in Cleveland. He played guitar and sang, and was listed playing with many different support people over the years.

His name appears in ads pretty steadily from 1961 until 1977. Occasionally he would play Detroit, Cincinnati, and probably other cities in the Great Lakes region. Like most club musicians, he had steady gigs that lasted weeks, months, and even years at the same place before going on the road, then returning to a new club. The Mayflower Lounge was the club where Leroy had his longest runs.

A few representative ads are posted for Leroy over the years. 

July 1977 ad

He only recorded one record, an R&B 45 for Golden World records in Detroit, in 1962. This was just before the Motown sound conquered the US and Leroy's record got little attention. The original Golden World label was not very successful, a reboot of the label a few years later featured national hits by the Reflections and several other moderately successful records. The record was recorded in New York City with the help of soul legend Van McCoy and Sammy Lowe.

Ad from 1962, the year of the Twist, and his record release

Leroy disappears from the club listings after 1978. There was nothing we could find out about him personally

Discography:
Ain't It A Shame / Girls Are Sentimental - Golden World 107, 1962