We are deeply saddened by the passing of music industry titan Leonard “Lennie” Petze. Long before he reshaped global charts as Vice President and Senior Vice President of A&R for Epic and Portrait Records, Lennie was a teenager defining the Boston rock scene with his bands, The Rhythm Rockers and later The Rondels. The Rondels scored a Billboard Hot 100 hit with “Back Beat No. 1” and performed on American Bandstand. 

That firsthand artist experience gave Lennie the perfect ear for talent. Throughout his legendary career, he earned over 100 Gold and Platinum awards, famously signing Boston in 1975 and launching one of the biggest debut albums in history. As head of Portrait Records, he broke global icons Cyndi Lauper and Sade, while guiding stars like Europe, Eddy Grant, Aldo Nova, Saga and Heatwave.

Lennie never forgot his roots, leveraging his executive power to champion New England acts like ‘Til Tuesday, Orchestra Luna, Orion The Hunter, Face to Face, Livingston Taylor, and Phil Gentile. Later, he founded Petze Music Group and Aureus Records to continue mentoring emerging talent. 

In 2020, Fervor Records had the immense privilege of partnering with Lennie to welcome his historic back catalog, including both The Rhythm Rockers and The Rondels, into the Fervor Records family. We are incredibly proud to safeguard and perpetuate the timeless catalog that started it all for Lennie. His legacy of vision, integrity, and great music lives on.