Larry LeBlanc is a

music journalist Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

who wrote hundreds of articles about the music industry in Canada as the Canadian bureau chief of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' as well as a number of other publications, and contributed to the development of the

National Music Centre The National Music Centre (NMC; french: Centre nationale de musique) is a non-profit museum and performance venue located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The centre's permanent building, branded Studio Bell, is located at 850 4th Street S.E. in Down ...

in Calgary. He is currently senior writer of the weekly U.S. entertainment trade ''CelebrityAccess'', where he is responsible for the series "In The Hot Seat". He is the recipient of a 2013 Juno Special Achievement Award."Doing the Full Mountie at the Junos"
''Huffington Post'', Sean Wainsteim, 04/21/2013

Career

In the 1970s, LeBlanc was a correspondent for Rolling Stone magazine. In 1973 and 1974, LeBlanc was a writer for the Ian Tyson Show. From 1970 to 1980, LeBlanc edited Canadian articles for the magazine ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

''. During the late 1970s and early 1980s he hosted the Sunday afternoon radio program ''Backstage Pass'' on Q107 in Toronto, where he introduced many New Wave and Punk acts to his audience. In 1981, he co-founded the music industry magazine ''The Record''. LeBlanc was the Canadian bureau chief for ''Billboard'' Magazine from 1991 to 2007."Larry LeBlanc, making the Canadian Music Hall of Fame happen"
Brad Wheeler, TORONTO — ''The Globe and Mail'', July 26, 2015 In 2010 LeBlanc co-authored the book "Music From Far And Wide: Celebrating 40 Years Of The Juno Awards" with Karen Bliss, Nick Krewen, and

Jason Schneider Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

, released by

Key Porter Books Key Porter Books was a book publishing company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1979 by Anna Porter, later well known as a writer, the company specialized in Canadian non-fiction, although it published some fiction too. It ceased o ...

. In 2013 LeBlanc was presented with a 2013 Juno

Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award The Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award is awarded by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to "individuals who have contributed to the growth and development of the Canadian music industry." It is given annually every Juno Awards ...

for his contributions to the Canadian music industry. In 2015 LeBlanc worked as a consultant during the development of the new National Music Centre in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

. In 2016 he was a writer for the magazine Celebrity Access and also hosted a show on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

entitled "Larry and the three Wise Men". Currently LeBlanc is the senior writer of the weekly U.S. entertainment trade CelebrityAccess, where he is responsible for the series "In The Hot Seat"."In the Hot Seat with Larry LeBlanc"
- CelebrityAccess Additionally he was a six-year board member of the

Mariposa Folk Festival Mariposa Folk Festival is a Canadian music festival founded in 1961 in Orillia, Ontario. It was held in Orillia for three years before being banned because of disturbances by festival-goers. After being held in various places in Ontario for a f ...

Orillia Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is in Simcoe County between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, and a Lifetime Member of the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

References

External links

Biography at the National Music CentreLarry LeBlanc Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2017) {{DEFAULTSORT:LeBlanc, Larry Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian music journalists