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

Hi Jeff, what do you attribute your success to?
Whenever I think about my success in the music business (writing production music for TV shows), I always think about persistence. There were so many times when I could have given up, but I always moved forward. It would have been so easy to view music as a hobby and give up on my dreams. To some extent, I did when I decided to become a teacher full time. However, I never stopped writing, releasing, and pitching music. I had already been a teacher for 10 years before signing my first publishing deal when I was age 33. Shortly after, my music was being featured in several hit TV shows.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I started writing music in college (UC Santa Barbara), there was a feeling somewhere inside me that could only be expressed through music. Not only was this feeling present, but there was also a sound that lived deep in my soul. I could only get a glimpse of it through the creative process of songwriting. It was frustrating because I wasn’t developed as a songwriter and certainly not a vocalist. I was, however, already experienced as a guitarist, keyboard player, and blues harmonica player. I was able to record and engineer somewhat lo-fi releases, enough to capture the attention of a small but loyal fan base in the Isla Vista college beach community. I performed mostly as a solo act at campus events, parties, and coffee houses. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Ethnomusicology (the study of music in its social and cultural contexts) and later received my Master’s degree in Education for the Blind. During this time, I taught blind musicians braille music notation and how to independently use an accessible recording studio. I released my first full length album in 2001, which went completely unnoticed except for one person; Lee Oskar, the founding member of rock-funk group WAR (Low Rider, Cisco Kid, Spill The Wine, Why Can’t We Be Friends?). To my surprise, he called me after I sent him a copy. Oskar, a harmonica virtuoso, had formed a harmonica company in 1983 which manufactures high performance harmonicas, which I was already a huge fan of. Speaking with him and hearing his positive feedback about my songs gave me the strength and confidence to take my music even more seriously. I released more music over the next few years and got some traction with an instrumental album of original World music. I began selling CDs at spas and yoga studios with some success. TAXI A&R, a Los Angeles-based song-pitching company (since 1992) pitched this music to record companies looking for New Age artists. Even though I didn’t receive much interest from the record companies, it gave me yet another boost. This time, to create music that fills a need. If New Age/World music was not going to be my calling, I would shift focus to another area of need; production music for TV. In 2007, reality TV was beginning to set TV programming on fire. New channels were coming out monthly to support viewers appetite for unscripted television. TAXI A&R was the link between independent artists/composers and the production companies needing music to finish editing these shows. With the help of TAXI, I was able to use the fleeting sound that was somehow still inside me to create emotional instrumental music in all styles for these programs. When I started signing deals in late 2008, I wanted to secure myself in the world of production music by all means possible. What this meant was I needed to write, record, mix, master, and pitch new music every week. I did this for many years, while working a full time career as a Braille Specialist. These days I still enjoy hearing that my music was picked for a variety of TV shows (mostly unscripted TV such as reality, sports, talk shows, documentaries). I have since refocused on to my original passion, which is songwriting and performing. It’s been so interesting to perform my original music around LA (Whisky a Go-Go, Viper Room, The Mint) and have a fan base after not performing anywhere since college. The great part of having music placed on TV, is that even though it’s buried underneath dialogue, many people recognize the music or feel connected to it in some way. I continue to write, record, and pitch emotional music and have had many recent song placements with co-writer/vocalist Justin Mather on scripted TV such as The Young and the Restless (CBS).

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When my friends visit LA, they trust that I will show them the best of Los Angeles. Being born in the mean streets of Malibu, I know the city/county inside and out. From the secret beaches of Malibu (Point Dume) to the most beautiful trails in the Santa-Monica Mountains (Charmlee Wilderness, Malibu Creek, Murphy Ranch). From celebrity/rock star homes to the best taquerias in LA (El Abajeno, El Taurino). Live music is vivacious as ever at the world famous Viper Room and Whisky a Go-Go. Los Angeles is the best city in the world, particularly for the creative type.

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?
I’m quite certain that none of my success would have been possible without Michael Laskow, CEO of TAXI A&R, a Los Angeles-based song-pitching company. The A&R team pitched my music to music publishers and gave me targeted opportunities to create and pitch new music. In 2008, I signed a publishing deal with a production company that pitches music to hit TV shows. My music has been on over 350 TV series and my catalog (over 2,000 songs) is now represented by five Los Angeles music publishing companies. Laskow has helped myself (and a couple hundred of my composer friends) follow and achieve their dreams.

Website: https://jeffgreenleaf.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffgreenleafmusic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffGreenleafMusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeffGreenleafMusic/

Other: https://www.instagram.com/gratefulwolfband/

Image Credits
Mathias Fau Photography

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