Meet Raymond Leslie | Music Archivist & PR

We had the good fortune of connecting with Raymond Leslie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raymond, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always been a creative type of person. As a young child, I enjoyed drawing and telling stories. As I got older, I showed interest in film-making and photography and made a YouTube channel in my teens. I never knew exactly where my place was in the creative world, but I was sure whatever I fell into, that it would be a “creative” job.

In 2018, I met a singer who recorded in the 1980s named Regina Richards. She had left the industry in the early 1990s and I simply wanted to know more about her career and her unreleased work. We became fast friends and I started sharing her history on my own social media accounts. In January 2019, I met someone named Dale Lunham-Harrison who shared a similar love of music. He was assisting artists from the same era and doing work to manage their social media, making inquiries to re-issue their back catalogue, and so many other things. He took me under his wing and introduced me to record labels, artists, producers, and how to balance it all. I created a page for Regina and took the reigns in helping her manage it. We also worked with Universal Music Group to reissue her debut album in 2021. This was the first time it had seen any release in the United States and had been available at all since 1981. It was this feat that cemented to me that THIS is what I loved doing!

Since then, I have had the pleasure of working with numerous other recording artists, producers, songwriters, in sharing their work again with the world. I do not have a musical bone in my body, but pursing record/artist promotion has opened me to a passion I didn’t know I had. I create posts for socials, including album release trailers and audio interviews with visuals. I’ve also scanned artists personal photos and memorabilia for both preservation and to share the history of these one of a kind pieces with fans. I also organize interviews, connect with photographers and producers, copyright recordings, digitally archive their own recordings (cassette, reel to reel); whatever the artist needs. Working closely with these artists has made me have such a deep respect for all of the people who make music happen. I truly do believe music has so much power in our lives; we can hear a song and can be transported back to a particular moment. It is this magic of music that keeps me going. There are so many tunes people haven’t had the privilege of hearing yet – so my work ain’t over!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love to shine a light on the forgotten. I think for every artist you’ve heard about, there are twenty who didn’t have a hit. And just because there was no chart position, it doesn’t mean there was no talent. The music world is highly competitive and not every song can chart, unfortunately. Sometimes if an artist has no hit and only a few albums, that album gets “lost in the shuffle”. That’s where I like to come in!

I’m proud of the work I’ve done in getting long-obscure albums back out there for people to hear! It’s a privilege to speak with writers and producers, trying to source masters or photos or whatever element we need. For example, I worked on a Motown re-issue last year by singer Carrie McDowell. The album was produced by the late Willie Hutch and we were in touch with his family trying to source songs for the release. It was a gift that they lent their time and I could share what that music he created meant to me and means to so many. I’m also excited about issuing unreleased music and albums, and that’s something I’m working on at the moment!

I got here by sheer luck and hard-work! Admittedly, it was definitely a mixture of both. People throw around that saying “right place right time” and that’s truly what happened with me. I was working toward something, I just wasn’t sure if it was possible. I then met someone who could take my potential and mold it further. He had connections and the know how and freely shared them with me. I wouldn’t say things have been “easy”, but I am persistent and I’ve learned you need to be that way to make it. Be persistent and use your passion to fuel your fire.

I just want the world to know that if you want something, you can chase it. And sometimes, when you least expect it, the thing you want is presented to you. And maybe it seems overwhelming or not exactly what you thought you’d be doing – but if you love it, if it feels right, hold it tight. I think when we leave ourselves open to possibilities, the possibilities show themselves to us. Keep an open mind, keep yourself open to learning and growing and that goes for every aspect of life. I truly never expected from messaging an artist that I would be helping her release her music and countless others as well, but I’m thankful the opportunity came to me and I told myself I could do it, whether I truly believed it at the time or not. Listen to those gut feelings. You just never know!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If someone were visiting me, I’d definitely take them to Jamie’s Flea Market for a fun day of shopping! I love going there and finding deals on vintage toys (I am an avid Barbie collector!), or searching for music and whatever odds and ends I stumble on. There are a lot of friendly vendors there and a variety of items to interest nearly all walks of life.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well, first I want to thank those who began this journey for me. When I began, it was all just to help my favorite singer. Regina, you have been the best boss and I’m afraid you’re stuck with me! Thank you for trusting me and taking this journey with me. I want to thank Dale Lunham-Harrison who took me under his wing, no questions asked and showed me the ropes. You gave me a career and I could never forget to thank you – and you’d never LET me forget! I want to thank all of my artist friends who have entrusted me to tell their stories – Carrie McDowell, Nestor Zarragoitia, Leslie Ming, Pam Russo, Christina Vierra, Bianca Labrano, Cindy Valentine, David Bravo, Marco Olivo, and Natalie Bonelli. I want to thank my dear friend Violet Sky for her encouragement, her help in promotion and for recommending me for this interview! Thank you Jeffery Woods for your encouragement and support in everything I do. I am sometimes too ambitious for my own good but you never burst my bubble. I want to thank my family for buying albums, streaming songs, watching livestreams, sharing posts… thank you for doing it for love. Extra special thank you to my friends at CHOONS Podcast for your similar goal of shining a light on the obscure but wonderful. And to my dear friend Patrick Lucas. I miss you! If I forgot anyone, know I love you. Thank you for reading this and for caring.

Website: https://linktr.ee/raytheunusual

Image Credits
Chelsey Rohrer