Tommy Leonetti, born Nicola Tomaso Lionetti on September 10, 1929, in Bergen County, New Jersey, was an American pop singer-songwriter and actor. He began his music career with the single "Free" in 1956, which peaked at number 23 on Billboard's pop charts. Tommy Leonetti achieved notable success as a songwriter for movies and Broadway plays, contributing to various films including Squeeze a Flower (1970) and Massacre at Central High (1976). His song "My City of Sydney", co-written with Bobby Troup, became iconic in Australia, used by the television station ATN 7 for its nightly sign-off until the early 1980s. Tommy Leonetti's other charted singles include "I Cried" (1954), which reached number 30, and "Kum Ba Yah" (1969), which peaked at number 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart. He also hosted his own talk-show in Australia from 1968 to 1970. His final US chart record was "When I Needed You Most Of All", which reached Record World number 120 in 1974. Throughout his career, he released several albums including Dream Street (1958) and Tommy Leonetti Sings the Winners (1965). Tommy Leonetti passed away on September 15, 1979, in Houston, Texas, after a long battle with cancer.
