 He went on to study with Lou Melia at Sayer's Studio in Plainfield; Al Volpe, the studio guitarist and teacher of such players as Joe Pass and Sal Salvador; jazz and studio guitarist Johnny Smith and Dennis Sandole, teacher of such students as Pat Martino and John Coltrane.He studied music theory and composition at Manhattan School of Music.Leahey's career began in the early 1960s and continued until his death in 1990.