Leon Everette
Recording Artist

Leon Everette was born Leon Baughman on March 27, 1949, in Aiken, S.C. and was reared in Queens, N.Y. He bought his first guitar in the Philippines while serving with the U.S. Navy. He eventually moved to Ward, S.C., near Edgefield, where he formed a country band that played in the Augusta area.

He began singing at the old Holiday Inn on Gordon Highway and would drive to Nashville often to seek a recording contract. He was signed by the True Records label and stirred national interest with his Elvis Presley tribute single, Goodbye King of Rock and Roll. He later was discovered in an Augusta nightclub by businessman Carroll Fulmer of Orlando, Fla., who created Orlando Records just for Leon. His third single, Don't Feel Like the Lone Ranger, became a national hit and it was followed by his first Top 10 hit, Over. That led to a contract with RCA Records in October 1980 and several popular RCA albums and singles including Giving Up Easy, Midnight Rodeo, If I Keep On Going Crazy, Hurricane and a hit remake of the Stonewall Jackson hit Don't Be Angry. It also led to him performing on several national cable TV shows and on stages with many country stars and also to signing with Mercury Records in 1984. He now performs gospel music in the Augusta area.