Leon Wharekura
World Famous in Huntly!!
Leon was born in Hamilton on the 10th of December 1969. He is the eldest son of Thomas Wharetotara Wharekura and Judith Anne Harihari Berryman. When Leon was a child, it was evident to his mum and dad that he had a gift for music. For many hours, Leon would sit in front of the stereogram and listen to the music of artists like the Jackson 5, The Osmonds and the Motown Be Bop groups of the 70's.
Because of his parent's church affiliations, Leon was encouraged to sing at a young age in church choirs and participate in stage productions within church and school. It was around the age of 7 that his mother decided to find him a piano teacher.
Piano lessons didn't come easy to Leon. He was not a disciplined student. Quite often, Leon would turn his practice time into creative time by trying to play the songs he heard on the stereogram. This pop RnB style seemed more appealing to him than the classical Mozart style of learning piano. He often got into trouble because he'd play by ear and not by music. By the time Leon got to high school, his abilities to hear and play melodies and harmonies would set him in good stead.
Reviews for 'Its a Love thing...' - Leon's Debut Album
We will be placing photos up soon of his launch 27 August, 2008. Watch this space for more details.
Page last updated 21 Sep 2008
