After studying classical piano at the Peabody School of Music, Jay Leonhart began playing banjo and guitar, forming a professional duo with his brother Bill. In the late-50s, after witnessing the Oscar Peterson Trio with Ray Brown, Leonhart switched to bass. In the succeeding decades, Leonhart accompanied numerous artists from the world of jazz, including Marian McPartland, Zoot Sims, Buddy Rich, Mel Tormé, and Lee Konitz. He also recorded with a wide range of pop music stars, including Tony Bennett, Judy Garland, Madonna, Sting and Stevie Wonder. Three of his songs were used in the 90s off-Broadway hit show, Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know, in which he also performed, and he also performed his own show in New York, It’s Impossible To Sing And Play The Bass.