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Monday, April 3, 2023

MICHAEL LEON,
1947-2023

Michael Leon, a longtime music-industry executive who developed the careers of Suzanne Vega and Joan Armatrading, died Sunday (4/2) in Beverly Hills. He was 76.

After beginning his career at Bell Records, which became Arista, Leon joined A&M Records in 1976, rising to SVP and head of East Coast operations. Known for his ear for emerging talent, he was instrumental in the development of Vega and Armatrading as well as the stateside success of The Police, Squeeze and Supertramp, among others.

While at A&M, Leon became a VP of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, overseeing the museum’s initial exhibition. He also advocated for the hiring of I.M. Pei to be the museum’s architect and for it to be based in Cleveland.

Leon went on to become head of international for SBK Records and eventually the entire EMI Records Group. In the late 1990s, he was named president of independent label Hybrid Records, where he signed the band Guster.

 
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