Juice Leskinen was born in the small Eastern Finnish town of Juankoski in 1950. In 1970 he moved to Tampere to study English, but music soon got in the way of his studies. Together with student friends he formed the band Juice Leskinen & Coitus Int.

In 1973 Juice Leskinen & Coitus Int. released their debut album Juice Leskinen & Coitus Int. It wasn't a big hit, but in the summer of 1974 the non-album single "Marilyn" topped the Finnish charts for months. In December 1974 the band released their second and last album, Per Vers, runoilija, which quickly went gold.

Coitus Int. disbanded, but Juice continued recording with ever changing lineups. He released at least one album per year, two at best, from 1976 (the critically acclaimed Keskitysleirin ruokavalio) till 1986 (the best selling Yölento). Other notable albums from this period include XV yö (Tauko III), Ajan henki, and the double album Boogieteorian alkeet peruskoulun ala-astetta varten, lyhyt oppimäärä.

After about 15 years of hectic recording and gigging, Juice suffered a serious illness in 1988, and it wasn't until 1990 that the next LP came out. He continued to release new music, but on a less strenuous schedule. In 2004 he and old friend Mikko Alatalo put out a new collaborative effort, Senaattori ja Boheemi.

An acclaimed lyricist, Juice's song lyrics have been published in book form ("Maamme lauluja 1-5"). He released many poetry books ("Äeti", "Ilonkorjuun aika"), as well as autobiographical stories, children's poems ("Räkä and Roiskis"), translations, and articles.

In 2006 Leskinen continued performing but had to cancel most of the booked gigs due to his worsening condition. He died later that year after suffering from several serious illnesses.