| Leon Patillo | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Leon Norman Patillo |
| Birth Date: | 1 January 1947 |
| Birth Place: | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Instrument: | Vocals, keyboards |
| Genre: | Contemporary Christian, rock, funk |
| Occupation: | Singer, songwriter |
| Years Active: | 1969–present |
| Label: | Word Records, Sparrow Records, Maranatha! Music |
Leon Norman Patillo[1] (born January 1, 1947) is an American contemporary Christian singer, keyboardist, and evangelist.
Patillo's first musical endeavor was with the group Creation, later called Leon's Creation. Formed in the late 1960s, Creation was a funk group similar in style and composition to Sly & the Family Stone; they were signed to Atlantic Records. Aside from Creation, Patillo worked at times with Funkadelic and Martha & the Vandellas. In 1974, Patillo joined Santana, in time to record the album Borboletta. He left in 1975, but returned in late 1976 and recorded the Festival album. Afterwards, he launched a solo career on Word Records. He released a string of successful albums on the CCM market in the 1980s, and had his own television show on TBN called Leon and Friends.[2]
Patillo founded his own record label, Positive Pop, in the 1990s, and his most recent releases have been on this imprint. For years, Patillo pastored the Rock House Church on the historic Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. He retired from the ministry in late 2009 in favor of traveling and leading seminars across the country.[2]