Theodore Francis Leo (born September 11, 1970) is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and in 2013, he and

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released ten studio albums as a solo artist. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects, often d ...

formed the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

duo

The Both The Both is an American indie rock musical duo consisting of Aimee Mann and Ted Leo. They began collaborating in 2013 and released a self-titled album in April 2014. Origins The songwriting collaboration between Aimee Mann and Ted Leo originat ...

Early life

Born in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

, Leo grew up in

Bloomfield, New Jersey Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and an inner-ring suburb of Newark. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 53,105, an increase of 5,790 (+12.2%) from the 2010 census cou ...

, where his family was from and spent many formative years in the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

scene of New York City during the 1980s and early 1990s. He graduated from

Seton Hall Preparatory School Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep, SHP, or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating under ...

in West Orange in 1988 and the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

in the fall of 1993 with a degree in English.

Career

Leo was a founding member of the New York punk band Citizens Arrest in 1989. In the 1990s, Leo played in bands that included

Chisel A chisel is a hand tool with a characteristic Wedge, wedge-shaped cutting edge on the end of its blade. A chisel is useful for carving or cutting a hard material such as woodworking, wood, lapidary, stone, or metalworking, metal. Using a chi ...

, Puzzlehead, and the Sin-Eaters. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists was formed in 1999 in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The group recorded six studio albums between 1999 and 2010. Leo has also maintained a consistent presence as a solo performer since the 1990s. In 2011, Leo joined TV Casualty, a

Misfits MiSFiTS was the acronym for the ''Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy''. This organization has now changed its name to GPS, an acronym for Geek Partnership Society. It was founded in 1999 and was the parent non-profit org ...

tribute band. They released a self-titled 7" with proceeds going to the Attic Youth Center in Philadelphia. In early 2013, Leo and

formed a duo called

, after Leo had toured with Mann for several months as her supporting act. He and Mann began writing songs together, and in March 2013, the duo performed their first show together as the Both (originally formatted as #BOTH). Their self-titled debut album, ''

'', was released in April 2014. Leo released his debut solo album ''The Hanged Man'' on September 8, 2017. The album was inspired by several years of career and personal hardships, including the loss of a daughter in 2011 due to a late-term miscarriage in which Leo's wife was forced to go into premature labor. For the 2019 animated television film '' Steven Universe: The Movie'', Leo collaborated with

Rebecca Sugar Rebecca Rea Sugar (born July 9, 1987) is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and musician. She is best known for being the creator of the Cartoon Network series ''Steven Universe'', making her the first non-binary person to in ...

and Stemage to write the song "Independent Together". In the film, Leo voiced the role of Steg, a fusion of

Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (character), Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who lives with the Crys ...

and Greg Universe. As Steg, Leo performed "Independent Together" alongside

(who reprised her role as Opal from the ''

'' television series) and voice actress

Deedee Magno Hall Deedee Magno Hall (born April 2, 1975) is an American actress. She is best known for her work in the pop group The Party (band), The Party, and as the voice of Pearl (Steven Universe), Pearl in the ''Steven Universe'' franchise. Early life Magn ...

(as

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

). In January 2025, Leo was announced as the guitarist for

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

on the band's "Long Goodbye" farewell tour.

Family and personal life

Leo grew up in New Jersey before moving to South Bend to attend Notre Dame, where he formed Chisel. He then moved to D.C., and briefly moved to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

thereafter. Leo has lived in Rhode Island since 2005, and he also maintained an apartment in New York City until 2016. Leo met his wife, musician, and visual artist Jodi Buonanno, in the late 1990s when both were touring in bands. She is credited with clapping, whistle, and background vocals on the '' Hearts of Oak'' album, as well as bass on ''The Tyranny of Distance''. His brothers, Chris and Danny Leo, are also musicians and have been members of bands such as

Native Nod Native Nod was an American post-hardcore band formed in 1990 and based in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area. During their short stint as a group, they released a handful of songs, spread across a demo, three EPs, and appearances on compi ...

, The Lapse,

The Van Pelt The Van Pelt is an American indie rock band from New York City that were active from 1993 to 1997, and have reformed several times since. History 1993-1997: Formation, ''Thieves'', ''Sultans'', and disbandment The band originally formed i ...

, The Vague Angels, and The Holy Childhood. Leo is a vegan, and has served as a spokesman for

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights ...

. He has made frequent radio appearances as a contributor to programs on

WFMU WFMU (91.1 MHz) is a non-commercial educational station, non-commercial, listener-supported, independent radio, independent community radio station city of license, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey, with studios in Jersey City. It is owned by ...

, such as ''

The Best Show with Tom Scharpling ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

''.

Discography

with Citizens Arrest

*''Citizens Arrest'' cassette EP (1989, Lifetime Records) *''Soaked in Others Blood'' 7-inch EP (2012, Painkiller Records)

with Puzzlehead

*''See Thru'' 7-inch EP (1991, Next Generation Records)

with Animal Crackers

*''Animal Crackers/Whipped'' split 7-inch EP with Whipped (1991, Sound Pollution Records) *''Animal Crackers'' 7-inch EP (1993, Thrashing Mad Records)

with Chisel

* ''Chisel'' 7-inch single (1991, Assembly Records) * ''Sunburn'' 7-inch EP (1994, Gern Blandsten) * ''Nothing New'' 12-inch EP (1995, Gern Blandsten) * ''8 A.M. All Day'' (1996, Gern Blandsten) * ''Set You Free'' (1997, Gern Blandsten)

with Hell No

*''Hell No'' 7-inch EP (1991, Wardance) *''Skin Job'' (1992, Wardance)

with Trendinista 5000

* ''Trendinista 5000'' (1992, Sudden Shame Records)

with Water

* ''Aliens Born to Human Parents'' (1993)

with Ely Parker and the CIAs

* ''Live 1993'' (2015, recorded in 1993) * ''Practice Demos'' (2015, recorded in 1993)

with The Sin-Eaters

* ''Demo'' (1997)

with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

*'' Guitar for Jodi'' 7-inch EP (1999, Persona Records) *'' tej leo(?), Rx / pharmacists'' (1999, Gern Blandsten) *'' Treble in Trouble'' (2000,

Ace Fu Records Ace Fu Records is an independent record label founded in 1998 by Eric Speck. It is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The label went on indefinite hiatus in 2007. Roster *Acid Mothers Temple * Annuals * An Albatross * Aqui * The Dears * Devotchka ...

) *'' The Tyranny of Distance'' (2001,

Lookout! Records Lookout Records (stylized as Lookout! Records) was an independent record label, initially based in Laytonville, California, and later in Berkeley, focusing on punk rock. Established in 1987, the label is best known for having released Operatio ...

) *'' Hearts of Oak'' (2003, Lookout! Records) *'' Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead'' EP (2003, Lookout! Records) *'' Shake the Sheets'' (2004, Lookout! Records) *'' Sharkbite Sessions'' EP (2005, Lookout! Records) *'' Living with the Living'' (2007,

Touch & Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. To ...

) *'' Mo' Living'' EP (2007, Touch & Go Records) *'' Rapid Response'' EP (2008, Touch & Go Records) *'' The Brutalist Bricks'' (2010,

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City ap ...

)

with TV Casualty

* ''TV Casualty'' (2011, Matador Records)

with The Both

*''

'' (April 2014, SuperEgo Records)

with The Foreign Correspondents

* "Lovin' You Ain't Easy/We're Dancin' ('til it Blows Over)" (2024, Outer Battery)

Solo

*''The Hanged Man'' (September 2017, self-released)

Collaborations

*"Oh, Death" (co-written with Scott Miller) on the

Game Theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions. It has applications in many fields of social science, and is used extensively in economics, logic, systems science and computer science. Initially, game theory addressed ...

album '' Supercalifragile'' (2017) *"Independent Together" (performed with

and

) in '' Steven Universe: The Movie'' (2019)

Compilation appearances

I'm Looking Through You "I'm Looking Through You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1965 album ''Rubber Soul''. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. McCartney wrote the song about English actress Jane Asher, his ...

" on '' This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul'' (2005,

Razor & Tie Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles and ...

) *"

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

" on ''Let All the Children Boogie: A Tribute to

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

'' (2016, Spare the Rock Records) *"In the Mean Times" as part of

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

's "Election Issues" project

References

External links

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leo, Ted 1970 births Living people Musicians from South Bend, Indiana Singers from Rhode Island People from Narragansett, Rhode Island American rhythm guitarists American indie rock musicians Singers from New Jersey People from Bloomfield, New Jersey Writers from South Bend, Indiana Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni University of Notre Dame alumni American punk rock singers American punk rock guitarists Ted Leo and the Pharmacists members The Both members Guitarists from Indiana Guitarists from Rhode Island Guitarists from New Jersey American male guitarists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers Gern Blandsten Records artists Musicians from Essex County, New Jersey