Leonda was my closest friend and her ocelot was named Ouippi (I'm not sure of the exact spelling, but it was pronounced "yoo-wip-ee." When I first "met" Ouippi, I was known as "Bullwhip John," because I carried a black & white braided bullwhip over my shoulder... as an article of apparel. At Leonda's apartment, Ouippi was in his cage and when I showed her how I made my bullwhip "pop," he went bananas - growling and hissing. (He startled me and scared the crap out of me.)

I helped Leonda & Billy move to the Berkshires, where they still live. There, Ouippi was allowed to run loose around the house and in the back yard. He, eventually, disapeared into the woods in their back yard and was never seen again. They have 5 kids. Their oldest, Agonna, is a singer whose voice brings back memories of Leonda's singing... though her style of music is different. Leonda still makes a rare singing appearance. She played at the Green Rooster in Worcester a couple of years back and was scheduled to play at the Club 47's 50th anniversary show, this month, (1/6/8). I was in Florida at the time and don't know how the show went.

Her 1969 album, "Woman In The Sun" was recently re-released on CD and is currently available. (Google it.)