Leon Daniels

The El Venos with Leon Daniels were a teenage group for the 50?s who came from Penn Hills and Duquesne, PA. They recorded several tunes in 1956 and 1957 on the Groove and Vik labels. Both were the R&B subsidiaries of the RCA Victor recording company. The public responded to two tunes, ?You Won't Be True? and ?Geraldine,? which landed the group into the ?Vocal Group Hall of Fame? in Sharon,PA some 42 years later. Leon came out of retirement in 1993 to appear on the Pittsburgh ?Roots of Rock and Roll? show at the Benedum Center which is produced every year by Henry DeLuca dn ?Pure Gold?.

The response was so overwhelming after Leon and Pure Gold performed ?Geraldine? that he decided to give it another try after 36 years at that time. It's no secret that Leon give all the credit to Henry for encouraging hiim to start singing again. Three and a half years would pass and Leon would work with a local group called the Laurels. Wishing to explore new horizons, the thought of reforming the El Venos was entertained. With much encouragement from frans, friends, and family to start the group, rehearsals began in late March 1998. The goal of the group is to help keep the oldies alive in Pittsburgh and everywhere.

Leon Daniels & the El Venos feature Rhythm and Blues/?Oldies? playing songs from the 50?s and 60?s.

Chuck Townsend is the 1st tenor and comes to the group from The Marcels, Sinceres, and El Monacs. Ron Williams is 2nd Tenor & bass ? Ron is the former lead singer of the Orlandos. Jerry Paul is the baritone and hails from the El Monacs, Sinceres, and the Laurels. Gwen Davis is the lead and tenor and has been hailed as the Karaoke Queen of Pittsburgh. Leon Daniels is also lead, baritone and bass. Leon is the original leader of the El Venos. Lenny Glick plays piano and keyboards; Billy Smith, lead guitar; Jimmy Mendys plays Tenor Saxophone; Billy Hillen ? bass guitar and Vic Mannella is percussions and drums