Leonard Clyde King Jr. was born at Burton Mercy Hospital, East Hancock at Brush Streets, Detroit Michigan on February 14, 1948. He was musically inspired very early in life and received his first phonograph player at age 3. "In those days Detroit was a REAL music city for many years. A person would practically have to have their fingers in their ears if they wanted to ignore the cultural richness the city had to offer despite its social polarities. My father, LC King, was an electrical/mechanic who owned jukeboxes and other vending machines, plus he LOVED music. In our household there were two rooms that DIDN'T have phonograph records—the kitchen and the bathroom".
"Although my earliest as a performer was as a vocalist in elementary school singing the hits of Chuck Berry, Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers, Fats Domino, and others, I was listening to ALL instruments and so much more music. Of course, it was the drums that resonated the strongest within me, but I understood very early my relationship to everyone in an ensemble—small or large. I'd use anything that was available in our house to imitate drum sounds especially the kitchen furniture. One afternoon I was using rulers on those chairs after my mother had recently reupholstered them, and I made dents in them without paying attention. I said, 'Uh-ohh' because I just KNEW she was gonna get me for messin' up those chairs. Instead she asked me if I wanted to take drum lessons. Of course I said yes and was relieved that she was in a good mood".
