Her first musical influences included
The Beatles and the music of
Vince Guaraldi from the Peanuts holiday cartoons. She started performing in high school when she joined the chorus, revealing an aptitude for music. Leitham own recordings include
Leitham Up,
The Southpaw,
Lefty Leaps In, Live! and
Two for the Road (a duo with guitarist
Jimmy Bruno). Her 2006 release,
The Real Me, features her original compositions and arrangements and, for the first time, her singing voice. Additionally 2008's critically acclaimed
Left Coast Story, the 2011 release of a live DVD
The Real Me Live, her 2014 release
Future Christmas, and her 2015 release "MOOD(S)WINGS". Also, the
Mood(S)wings album was voted one of the Top 3 CDs of 2015 by the readers of "JazzEd" magazine. Her observations on the events of the day were reflected in her 2019 release
Remnants Of Humanity. ==Personal life==