Leon Redbone (born August 26, 1949) is a singer-songwriter and guitarist specializing in jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley classics. Recognized by his Panama hat, dark sunglasses, and black tie, Redbone first appeared on stage in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the mid-1970s. He has also appeared on film and television in acting and voice-over roles.
Redbone's concerts blend performance, comedy, and skilled instrumentals. Recurrent gags involve the influence of alcohol and claiming to have written works originating well before he was born (Redbone favors material from the Tin Pan Alley era circa 1890s to 1910). He sang the theme to the 1980s television series Mr. Belvedere and has released sixteen albums.
On May 19, 2015 on his web site, his publicist announced his retirement from performing and recording.
Video Leon Redbone
Early life
According to a Toronto Star report in the 1980s, his birth name is Dickran Gobalian, and he came to Canada from Cyprus in the mid-1960s and changed his name via the Ontario Change of Name Act. However, an article about producer John H. Hammond in a 1973 issue of the Canadian jazz magazine Coda states that he was a native of Philadelphia who moved to Toronto: "Sitting next to Hammond was a young white musician named Leon Redbone from Philadelphia, but currently residing in Toronto".
Maps Leon Redbone
Career
While living in Canada in the early 1970s, Redbone began performing in public at Toronto area nightclubs and folk music festivals. He met Bob Dylan at the Mariposa Folk Festival. Dylan was so impressed by Redbone's performance that he mentioned it in a Rolling Stone interview, leading that magazine to do a feature article on Redbone a year before he had a recording contract. The article described his performances as "so authentic you can hear the surface noise [of an old 78 rpm]." His first album, On the Track, was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1975.
He was introduced to a larger public as a semi-regular musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live, appearing twice in the first season. During the 1980s and '90s Redbone was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He has also been a guest on A Prairie Home Companion.
Due to his reluctance to discuss his past, there has been speculation that "Leon Redbone" was an alternative identity for another performer. The two most commonly mentioned are Andy Kaufman and Frank Zappa, both of whom Redbone has outlived.
Redbone usually dresses in attire reminiscent of the Vaudeville era, performing in a Panama hat with a black band and dark sunglasses, often while sitting at attention on a stool, with a white coat and trousers with a black string tie.
Redbone survived the crash of a small plane in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on February 12, 1979. He travels to engagements exclusively by car, saying, "I carry around many unusual items and devices. They make life difficult for airport security personnel and flying impossible for me."
Redbone retired from music in 2015 due to health problems.
Appearances in other media
Redbone sang "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Zooey Deschanel over the closing credits of the 2003 film Elf and provided the voice for Leon the Snowman. On his 1987 album Christmas Island he performed "Frosty the Snowman" with Dr. John. He performed the theme song for the TV shows Mr. Belvedere and Harry and the Hendersons.
Redbone appeared regularly on the PBS children's show Between the Lions. He appeared on an episode of the TV show Life Goes On. He narrated the 2011 Emmy-winning documentary Remembering the Scranton Sirens.
Redbone has performed in several TV commercials, including Budweiser beer, in which he lies on a surfboard singing "This Bud's for You", the U.S. automobile brand Chevrolet, All laundry detergent, and InterCity British Rail service in which he sang the song "Relax". He also lent his voice to an animated caricature of himself in a commercial for Ken-L Ration dog food.
Discography
Studio albums
- On the Track (Warner Bros., 1975)
- Double Time (Warner Bros., 1977)
- Champagne Charlie (Warner Bros., 1978)
- From Branch to Branch (Atco, 1981)
- Red to Blue (Sugar Hill, 1985)
- Christmas Island (Blue Thumb, 1987)
- No Regrets (Blue Thumb, 1988)
- Sugar (Rounder, 1990)
- Up a Lazy River (Blue Thumb, 1992)
- Whistling in the Wind (Private Music, 1994)
- Any Time (Rounder, 2001)
- Flying By (2014)
- Long Way Home: Early Recordings (Third Man, 2016)
Live albums
- Leon Redbone Live (1985)
- Live! (1994)
- Live & Kickin' (1999)
- Live - October 26, 1992: The Olympia Theater, Paris, France (2005)
- Long Way from Home (2016)
References
External links
- Official website
- Leon Redbone on IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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