Today the family of singer and guitarist Leon Redbone announced that he has died. He was a favorite among my college music crowd in the mid-’70s after we were introduced to him on Saturday Night Live. His distinctive nostalgic style and enigmatic persona made him stand out.
From the story in the StarTribune:
Redbone's career got a boost in the early 1970s when Bob Dylan met him at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Ontario, Canada, and praised his performance. Dylan said that if he ever started a label, he would have signed Redbone.
"Leon interests me," Dylan said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1974. "I've heard he's anywhere from 25 to 60, I've been (a foot and a half from him) and I can't tell, but you gotta see him. He does old Jimmie Rodgers, then turns around and does a Robert Johnson."
I remember nostalgic hits he covered like Shine on Harvest Moon, Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and When You Wish Upon a Star. A particular favorite of my best friend and I was I Want to Be Seduced, which was featured in the Mac Davis movie Cheaper to Keep Her.
I heard him in concert twice in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s: an intimate performance in the late, lamented Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, CA (I also saw Steve Martin there in the late ‘70s—another college crowd fave) and again at the old Universal Amphitheater with Leo Kottke in his pre-New Age days.
The article notes his recording of the opening theme for the TV Series Mr. Belvedere and Harry and the Hendersons, along with the movie Elf. I remember his commercial for “the stain lifter, that’s All” and Budweiser. Wikipedia also credits a Chevrolet spot. He recorded a total of 16 albums. As Wikipedia tells it:
Redbone's concerts made use of performance, comedy, and skilled instrumentals. Recurrent gags involved the influence of alcohol and claiming to have written works originating well before he was born – Redbone favored material from the Tin Pan Alley era, circa 1890s to 1910.
His age and background are disputed. Wikipedia cites a disputed claim that he was born Dickran Gobalian on August 26, 1949 in Cyprus of Armenian ancestry (that would make him 69).
The family’s statement explained that:
"Leon Redbone crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127. He departed our world with his guitar, his trusty companion Rover, and a simple tip of his hat."
When he announced his retirement on May 19, 2015, it was assumed that it was due to onset of dimentia. He died today in hospice care in Bucks County, PA. Later today I shall have to enjoy a libation while I sample some of his wonderful work, with a sly smile, a wink, and a tip of the hat.
Friday, May 31, 2019 · 3:44:35 AM +00:00
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homogenius
Thank you, everyone. This has truly become a virtual memorial. I had no idea that this many people would contribute to remember our friend, Leon Redbone. Thank you for lighting candles in his memory. I had literally hundreds of hours of enjoyment listening to his music—I can even picture which cars I was driving (one of which was my all-time favorite). I neglected to say what I consider the appropriate words in my diary:
I give thanks for the life and talents of Leon Redbone.