Leonard Haze

Leonard Haze (born September 7, 1955) is an American-born rock drummer, songwriter and producer. He is a founding member and one of the principal songwriters for Bay Area hard rock band Yesterday & Today, later known as Y&T.
Early life
Haze grew up in San Leandro, CA and was an avid sports and music fan. A diehard fan of the early Oakland Athletics and later in life the New York Mets and Oakland Raiders. By 11 he owned his first drum kit and later pursued the study and performance of Jazz music at San Leandro High School, where he eventually became President of the student body. Once Haze attended performances by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Cream at The Fillmore in S.F., he pursued music more fervently, forming a handful of performing bands in his high school years, playing venues throughout the Bay Area. Haze was torn between his pursuit of music and his desire to attend college and further pursue his studies. The relative success of his band Yesterday and Today (Y&T) and a legendary performance by Y&T at Winterland helped seal his fate.
Career with Y&T
Y&T recorded their first record when Haze was 20, with Haze writing a majority of the lyrics and a good share of the music, as would be the case for many of the bands following releases. Haze’s playing was deeply influenced by drummers such as John Bonham, Ian Paice, Ginger Baker, Mitch Mitchell, Nigel Olsson, Cozy Powell, and Denny Carmassi, while his songwriting was heavily influenced by his love of the songs of the Beatles -- whose LP Yesterday and Today, ironically was referenced by Haze and unintentionally became the group moniker. It was Haze’s bass drum prowess that made his powerful drum style legendary and, thanks to it, Y&T quickly developed the reputation as a live band and musical powerhouse, headlining shows over opening bands such as Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. As with many legendary acts, the band's chemistry was undeniable and the power of the music was “Facemelting” as one fan later labeled it. Y&T’s hard driving style helped land them worldwide tours alongside such acts as AC/DC, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne and Rush, which resulted in the development of strong followings throughout Europe (where they continue to tour) and Japan were they were widely heralded by an ever growing and loyal fan base—along with their home base in the United States.
After Y&T
In 1989/90, Haze and former Y&T rhythm guitarist Joey Alves briefly formed the band Black Tiger, which primarily focused on Y&T material. The project was short lived and featured a handful of local performances in the Bay Area.
With Haze in tow, his next project, Lemans, was almost immediately signed to CBS recording deal(which never materialized), followed by a reunited "Rock Justice" production (for which Haze had recorded the original album/production years earlier while with Y&T). Through his work with Chris Tsangarides on Y&T‘s “Meanstreak”, Leonard was contacted by Ian Gillan, singer for the legendary 1970"s Deep Purple Mk II lineup, to join as a permanent member of Gillan’s band. Haze played on the critically acclaimed “Toolbox” recording and then toured the world with Gillan, visiting 71 countries. During these stadium filling tours, Haze was part of one of the first rock bands ever to perform behind the “Iron Curtain”, in the Soviet Union. When Gillan was finally persuaded to reunite with the original
members of Deep Purple, Haze chose, after two years of extensive international touring, to stick close to home and use much of his time producing bands in the studio, drawing upon his experiences with top producers, including Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne), Chris Tsangarides (Black Sabbath, Concrete Blonde, Thin Lizzy) and Tom Allom (Def Leppard, Pat Travers, Judas Priest) among others. In addition, he also continued performing and recording with various local projects and performing drum clinics. In 2001, Haze was reunited with Y&T and performed through much of the U.S. and Europe with the band up through 2006.
Current
Leonard Haze continues to live in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) with his wife Kelly and is involved with various performers, including recent projects with Ronnie Montrose, Brad Gillis, Eddie Money and other local acts. He continues to write music and is currently recording and performing original material with East Bay rockers, the John Tilton Band.
Discography
;With Y&T
*Yesterday & Today (1976)
*Struck Down (1978)
*Earthshaker (1981)
*Black Tiger (1982)
*Mean Streak (1983)
*In Rock We Trust (1984)
*Open Fire (1985)
*Down For The Count (1985)
* Best of '81-'85 (1990)
*Yesterday & Today Live (1991)
*Anthology (1992)
*BBC in Concert: Live on the Friday Rock Show (2000)
*Ultimate Collection (2001)
*Unearthed Vol 1 (2004)
*Unearthed Vol 2 (2005)
*Earthshaker (re-release) (2006)
*In Rock We Trust (re-release) (2006)
;With Rock Justice
*Rock Justice (1979)
;With Ian Gillan
*Toolbox (1991)

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