Atlanta Pops Orchestra – Kevin Leahy https://www.kevinleahy.com Drums & Percussion Fri, 13 Feb 2026 19:53:38 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 New Adventures with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra & More https://www.kevinleahy.com/news/new-adventures-with-the-atlanta-pops-orchestra-more/ Mon, 02 Feb 2026 02:48:13 +0000 https://www.kevinleahy.com/?p=529 Read more]]> Seven years ago, I stepped into the role of Executive Director of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, a group I’ve played drums & percussion with for over twenty years. The origins of the Atlanta Pops date back to 1945, when WSB Music Director Albert Coleman brought his WSB Symphonette to Emory University’s Glenn Memorial Auditorium for his first “Pop Concert,” portions which were aired live on WSB Radio. Coleman led the orchestra for 55 years, collaborating with artists such as Isaac Hayes, James Brown, Ray Charles, Chet Atkins, and many more, before retiring in the late 1990s. Around this time, the Atlanta Pops was designated a 501c3 non-profit organization with a mission to provide orchestra performances to underserved communities. In recent years we’ve traveled to venues throughout the southeast and midwest, and we’ve have the good fortune to collaborate with award winning artists from a variety of musical genres, including folk singer Gregory Alan Isakov, African music icon Angélique Kidjo, hip-hop artists Nas, T.I., Rick Ross, Jadakiss, and Gucci Mane, bluegrass group Balsam Range, Broadway singers Mandy Gonzalez and Sutton Foster, gospel singer Yolanda Adams, and many more. I am not sure where the next 80 years will take the Atlanta Pops, but my hope is that these meaningful live musical moments continue for a very long time.

In addition to my work with the Atlanta Pops, I am keeping busy with a number of other musical projects. I plan to hit the road this spring with Allgood for a few shows to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their debut album Ride The Bee, I’ve got a few shows with my H.O.R.D.E. Festival tribute group, I have a date at Eddie’s Attic with Kristin Markiton to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Wandering Moon album I co-produced for her with Kirstian Bush back in 2005, and I’ll be appearing behind my collection of Ludwig and Musser gear in an upcoming episode of the ABC series Will Trent.

Photos: Top row by Kendall Rock: Gregory Alan Isakov with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra – March 24, 2025, Atlanta Symphony Hall; middle row left by Ashley Evans, Balsam Range and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble at the Art of Music Festival – December 5, 2025, Stuart Auditorium; middle row right Oxford Performing Arts Center; bottom row left Angelique Kidjo with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra – March 30, 2025, Atlanta Symphony Hall; bottom row right Oxford Performing Arts Center with Sons of Serendip

]]> New Recordings https://www.kevinleahy.com/news/new-recordings/ Sun, 07 Oct 2012 20:00:07 +0000 http://www.kevinleahy.com/?p=129 Read more]]> Next week I will be performing at Eddie’s Attic—on Tuesday, October 16th with the great jazz singer Bernadette Seacrest and on Friday, October 19th with the great singer/songwriter Eliot Bronson. Eliot will be releasing his CD Milwaukee that evening, which we recorded earlier this year. On Saturday, October 20th I will be playing with Coy Bowles & The Fellowship at Zac Brown’s second annual Southern Ground Music & Food Festival in Charleston, S.C. Then on Sunday, October 21st I will join Atlanta Braves organist Matthew Kaminski at Churchill Grounds in midtown Atlanta for his Hammond Organ Grooves show, with special guest vocalist Gwen Hughes.

In addition to Eliot Bronson’s recording project, I have also contributed drum tracks in recent months to The Sundogs‘ single “Get It Right” and new songs by Art “Buddy” Edwards (for the film “Stuck Outside of Phoenix“), as well as vibraphone tracks to Khari Cabral‘s Clementine Sun and Kris Dale‘s Cinema Belvedere. Boxtop Jenkins‘ children’s album You’re Happier When You’re Happy (featuring Sean Mullins and the Indigo Girls) was recently released, on which I recorded drums and mallet instruments. Finally, Andrew Hyra recently released Curios, a collection of tracks he had recorded over the last decade – including previously unreleased songs we cut during the sessions for Spill in 1997.

Eliot Bronson -Milwaukee
Eliot Bronson –
Milwaukee

 

Khari Cabral - Clementine Sun
Khari Cabral – Clementine Sun

 

Andrew Hyra - Curios
Andrew Hyra – Curios

 

Boxtop Jenkins - You're Happier When You're Happy
Boxtop Jenkins – You’re Happier When You’re Happy

 

Upcoming shows include more dates with Bernadette Seacrest, as well as Ted Russell Kamp and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra.

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