Co-founder of VAP Records. Half of J.S. Floyd. Author of 13 books. Guitar instructor. Sound designer. He doesn't just talk about hustle — he's lived it.
Read the Full Story →
Stay in the Loop
No Spam. Just Real Updates.
New music, new books, live performances, and exclusive content. Join the list and get it first.
JLeslieMusic · SoloJ Leslie · VAP Records · May 17, 2026
'On You Radio'
Seven original tracks. Smooth jazz. Funk. Guitar-driven from the first note to the last. Four decades of musical experience distilled into seven songs — no filler, no guests, just pure guitar.
Brothers Jonathan (guitar) and Stafford (keyboards) Floyd have been crafting their signature 'Hot Funk/Cool Jazz' sound for decades. As J.S. Floyd, they bring a rare combination of technical mastery and soulful feel to every record.
Their debut album 'Check the Forecast' and single 'Two Piece and a Biscuit' have earned radio play on smooth jazz stations across the country. Their new album On You Radio drops May 17th.
Notable Collaborations
Holland-Dozier-Holland · The Supremes · Force MD's · Jon B. · Al B. Sure · Black Rock Coalition, New York
ASCAP registered. MLC enrolled. From Amityville, Long Island to Los Angeles — the independent spirit never left.
JLeslieMusic
Solo · Smooth Jazz · Guitar
J.S. Floyd
Hot Funk / Cool Jazz Duo
VAP Records
Est. 1978 · Independent
Where It All Started
VAP Records Est. 1978
Founded in 1978 in Amityville, Long Island by Marquette Floyd and brothers Stafford and Jonathan Floyd, VAP Records — Virgin Archer Production — carved out a niche in the late '70s and early '80s as a purveyor of infectious dance music. With Jonathan at the helm as President and Stafford Floyd and Reginald Brown as principal producers, VAP released 12" singles that captured the energy of the era.
The label's flagship act, Final Edition, led a roster that included Kevin Keys, Jazzee, Broadway, and Olivia McClurkin. Between 1979 and 1983, VAP released three standout singles — and then one of them changed everything.
Years after the label closed, the B-side of VAP's debut single — Final Edition's "I Can Do It Anyway You Want" — was rediscovered and reimagined by legendary producer Armand Van Helden. His remake brought the track to a new generation, amassing over 10 million views on YouTube and generating substantial publishing revenue for writers Jonathan Floyd, Stafford Floyd, and Reginald Brown.
Final Edition's "Betcha Can't Love Just One" was featured on General Hospital and HBO's How to Make It in America. From Amityville to the world.
Flagship Act
Final Edition
"No Limit" · "Betcha Can't Love Just One" · "We're Moving On Straight Ahead"
10M+ YouTube Views
Armand Van Helden Remix
"I Can Do It Anyway You Want" — old-school remake by the legendary producer
Featured On
General Hospital · HBO
"Betcha Can't Love Just One" — placed on General Hospital and HBO's How to Make It in America
Also on the Roster
Kevin Keys · Broadway · Jazzee
Plus Olivia McClurkin — an eclectic, soulful independent roster
"VAP Records: Where family, friends, and unforgettable beats came together to make dance music history."
Album Drop
May 17th
Get notified the moment On You Radio drops everywhere.
Published Works
13 Books. One Mission.
Every book J Leslie has written comes from the same place: a belief that young people deserve real knowledge, not watered-down advice. Entrepreneurship. Mindset. Fiction. Books that challenge you to think differently.
Jonathan teaches guitar at Hands 4 Hope Youth Organization — giving young people access to music as a path forward. Private instruction also available.
Inquire About Lessons
Sound & Lighting
Forecast Audio & Lighting
Professional sound and lighting services for live events, performances, and productions. With decades of hands-on experience in live audio, Jonathan brings the same attention to detail to your event that he brings to his music.
Live sound reinforcement
Stage lighting design
Event production
Venue setup and teardown
Get a Quote
Live Updates
Never Miss a Show
Get tour dates and performance announcements first.
More Than 45 Years in the Making
Jonathan Leslie
J Leslie is the creative identity of Jonathan Floyd — musician, author, entrepreneur, and educator. His career has never fit a single category, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Co-founder of VAP Records. Half of J.S. Floyd. Author of 13 books. Guitar instructor. Sound designer. He doesn't just talk about hustle — he's lived it.
The Full Story
It started in 1978 in Amityville, Long Island, where Jonathan, his father Marquette Floyd, and brothers Stafford and Jonathan co-founded VAP Records — Virgin Archer Production. As President, Jonathan helped build an independent dance music label from scratch: producing 12" singles, working with record pools and DJs, and launching artists including Final Edition, Kevin Keys, Broadway, Jazzee, and Olivia McClurkin.
VAP's flagship act Final Edition released three singles between 1979 and 1983 — "No Limit," "Betcha Can't Love Just One," and "We're Moving On Straight Ahead." The track "Betcha Can't Love Just One" was featured on General Hospital and HBO's How to Make It in America. Years later, the B-side of VAP's debut — "I Can Do It Anyway You Want" — was reimagined by legendary producer Armand Van Helden, amassing over 10 million YouTube views and generating publishing revenue for writers Jonathan, Stafford Floyd, and Reginald Brown.
As a guitarist, Jonathan has shared stages and studios with some of the most respected names in R&B and jazz — Holland-Dozier-Holland, The Supremes, Force MD's, Jon B., Al B. Sure, and the artists of New York's Black Rock Coalition. As half of J.S. Floyd — 'The Distinguished Gentlemen of Smooth Jazz' — alongside his brother Stafford, he has built a catalog of 'Hot Funk/Cool Jazz' that continues to grow. Jonathan is a registered ASCAP member with 225 songs in catalog, and an enrolled member of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC).
Under the J Leslie name, Jonathan has published 13 books on Amazon KDP targeting teens, young adults, and lifelong learners — spanning entrepreneurship, mindset, personal development, and fiction. His books are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Audiobook editions are available via Audible/ACX.
Jonathan teaches guitar at Hands 4 Hope Youth Organization, where he works with young people to build musical skills and confidence. Through Forecast Audio and Lighting, he provides professional sound and lighting design for live events and productions.
From Amityville, Long Island to Los Angeles — and soon to Oregon — Jonathan Leslie has spent a lifetime creating things worth hearing, reading, and experiencing. He's not done yet.
Music
VAP Records · Est. 1978 ASCAP Registered · MLC Enrolled 225 Songs in Catalog J.S. Floyd — Hot Funk/Cool Jazz Holland-Dozier-Holland · The Supremes Force MD's · Jon B. · Al B. Sure
Literature
13 Books on Amazon KDP Entrepreneurship · Personal Development Teen Mindset · Sci-Fi Fiction Kindle · Paperback · Audiobook U.S. Copyright Office Registered
Education & Production
Guitar Instructor Hands 4 Hope Youth Organization Forecast Audio and Lighting Free Information Network (FIN) Sound & Lighting Design
Philosophy
The FIN Way
The Free Information Network — sharing knowledge freely, without paywalls or funnels. If it helps someone, it gets shared.
Learn About FIN →
Stay Connected
Join the List
Music, books, and ideas. Straight to your inbox.
Free Information Network
Information Should Be Free.
The Free Information Network isn't a brand. It's a belief. Knowledge that helps people — real, practical, proven knowledge — should never be locked behind a paywall, withheld for profit, or gatekept by those who already have access.
The Philosophy Behind Everything J Leslie Does
I'm a card-carrying member of the Free Information Network (FIN).
In a digital landscape dominated by paywalls, manipulated algorithms, and endless monetization schemes, FIN represents a different path: knowledge shared freely, information vetted by integrity rather than profit margins, and content created to genuinely help rather than extract.
The internet has become a marketplace where truth is the rarest commodity. Every click comes with a price — either they're selling you something that doesn't deliver, or you're paying with your time, wading through content designed to serve advertisers rather than answer your questions. The signal-to-noise ratio has never been worse.
FIN is the alternative. It's a commitment to sharing what actually works, what's actually true, what actually matters — without the middleman, without the upsell, without the grift. Expertise and experience offered in good faith, accessible to anyone who needs it.
This is why my books exist in this space. Real strategies, honest insights, practical wisdom — not breadcrumbs leading to a paid masterclass. Just the information you need, because that's what FIN members do: we contribute to a knowledge commons that values truth over traffic, substance over clicks, and human development over conversion rates.
What This Means in Practice
FIN in Action
01
Books on Amazon KDPPriced for accessibility, not maximum profit. Real strategies, honest insights — no breadcrumbs leading to a paid masterclass.
02
YouTube ContentFree video education on entrepreneurship, mindset, and music. No subscription wall. No algorithm games.
03
Guitar at Hands 4 HopeTeaching youth who might otherwise never get access to quality music education. Knowledge as a path forward.
04
This WebsiteA free resource hub, not a sales funnel. Information that helps people should flow freely — full stop.
Principle 01
Information that helps people should be free. Paywalls are barriers. Knowledge is a right, not a luxury product.
Principle 02
Share what you know. The more freely knowledge moves, the more value it creates for everyone — including the one sharing it.
Principle 03
Access is not charity. Removing barriers to knowledge is basic decency. No one should be priced out of learning.
Principle 04
The art and the knowledge are separate things. Sell the record. Share the music theory. Sell the book. Share the ideas.
The Invitation
Welcome to the Network.
If you believe information should liberate rather than leverage — if you're tired of being the product instead of the person being served — if you want to contribute to or benefit from a system where knowledge flows freely — you're already thinking like FIN.
If you create content that honors these principles — if you share knowledge without the hustle, offer expertise without the upsell, provide value without the extraction — simply tag your work:
"Member of the Free Information Network (FIN)"
No application required. No membership fee. No central authority. Just your commitment to the standard: real information, freely shared, genuinely helpful. This is how we build the alternative. One honest post at a time.
FIN Community
Join the Network
Free resources, ideas, and updates. No cost. No catch.
Get in Touch
Let's Connect
For bookings, press, guitar instruction, sound & lighting, or anything else — Jonathan reads every message.
Members of the media: A full press kit including bio, high-res photos, and music samples is available upon request. Select 'Press / Media Inquiry' in the form.
