Leonard Haze has been playing drums since he was a kid. As the drummer and cofounder of Y&T, Leonard gets the credit for naming the band Yesterday & Today. As the story goes, one day a promoter called to book the band for a gig — only problem was that the band had no name. While on the phone with the promoter, Leonard looked around his room and saw the Beatles Yesterday & Today album... and so, in the heat of the moment, the band was named.



In 1986, Leonard Haze was named the World’s Fastest Foot in Circus Magazine by Carmine Appice.



In addition to touring the world and recording on nine different Y&T albums, Leonard also spent several years touring the world and recording two albums with the legendary Ian Gillian (Deep Purple).



Along with Phil Kennemore, Leonard Haze played the lead in the stage production of Marty Balin’s Rock Justice and played drums on the soundtrack album.



Leonard Haze continued to tour the world with Y&T until June 2006, when he and the group parted ways, and the drummer was followed up by Mike Vanderhule.



Leonard Haze passed away Sunday evening, September 11 at his home in Hayward, California. He was 61 years old. He had been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for several years, making breathing difficult.



Even so, Leonard Haze had fought to keep playing drums, performing regularly with his band, Hazexperience, and joining Y&T on stage at the Fillmore in San Francisco in both 2015 and 2016.