My favorite comment on Leon Redbone and his music is the following:
“I remember Leon Redbone sitting there by himself on the stage at Boise State University student center in 1976, dressed like he always does (so dapper) with shaded eye glasses, a small table with a small table lamp, a glass of fine whiskey (as he admitted to), smoking a cigar and listening to a small vintage pig nose radio that was playing songs from the 1930’s. Suddenly he reached down and turned off the radio and said “That reminds me of a song” and went right into “Some of These Days”…. I was hooked… best show I ever saw from one of the best musician/singer/showman/music historian I will have ever seen perform. Playing the mouth harp as well as making trumpet sounds with his lips coupled with exquisite guitar playing…aaah the best!!! An old soul who graced our lives with his talent. The guy had a magical ability to create an atmosphere where time just kind of stopped flowing and looped back in and over itself. Thank you Mr. Redbone, I love how your music makes me feel low down comfortable easy moving forward. I’ve been a fan of your’s from the beginning of your professional career. Your music is exquisite but was seldom heard on regular radio. I’ve enjoyed the hell out of it for many decade’s now. You’re a gem among gem’s. I wish (for my own selfish reason’s) that you could go on forever. But I have all the LP’s and CD’s I could find, so you’ll never die for me. Once again, I wish you the best of health and happiness. You’ve brought me much happiness, as I am sure you have done for many other folks. Bless you Mr. Redbone.”
Music – 2015 – Leon Redbone Promo For Leon Redbone Documentary
Music – 2019 – Richard Riley Presents Leon Redbone R.I.P. – A Mini-Documentary Of The Legendary Mysterious Music Man
Music – 1949 To 2019 – Photo Tribute To Leon Redbone
Leon Redbone (born Dickran Gobalian, August 26, 1949 – May 30, 2019) was a singer-songwriter and musician specializing in jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley classics. Recognized by his hat (often a Panama hat), dark sunglasses, and black tie, Redbone was born in Cyprus of Armenian ancestry and first appeared on stage in Toronto, Canada, in the early 1970’s. He also appeared on film and television in acting and voice-over roles.
Music – 1972 – Leon Redbone – “Marie” – From Long Way Home Album
Music – 1972 – Leon Redbone – “Yodeling Cowboy” – From Long Way Home Album
Music – 1972 – Leon Redbone – “Lord, I Looked Down The Road” – From Long Way Home Album
Music – 1972 – Leon Redbone – “Don’t Let It Bother You” – From Long Way Home Album
Music – 1972 – Leon Redbone – “Nobody Knows But Me” – From Long Way Home Album
In concert Redbone often employed comedy and demonstrated his skill in guitar playing. 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 1890 to 1910. He sang the theme to the 1980’s television series Mr. Belvedere and released eighteen albums.
Music – 2009 – Leon Redbone – Live At The Imagine Arts Festival – With Chat and Song – “Jelly Roll”
Music – 2001 – Leon Redbone Live at Duke Island Park Folk Festival, Bridgewater, NJ – With Music Greats Jon Erik Kelso (trumpet), Dan Levinson (clarinet) + Vince Giordano (bass, tuba and sax)……What a Band!!!
Music – 1979 – Leon Redbone Live at Austin City Limits – “The One Rose In My Heart” + “Way Out On The Wind Swept Desert” + “Steady Lovin’ Girl”
Music – 1981 – Leon Redbone – “Seduced” – From Branch To Branch Album
Redbone was elusive about his origins, and he never explained the origin of his stage name. According to a Toronto Star report in the 1980s, he was once known as Dickran Gobalian, came to Canada in the mid-1960’s, and changed his name via the Ontario Change of Name Act. Biographical research published in 2019 corroborated his birth name, and stated that his family was of Armenian origin. His parents lived in Jerusalem, but fled in 1948 to Nicosia, Cyprus, where Redbone was born. By 1961, the family had moved to London, England, and by 1965 to Toronto.
Music – 1992 – Leon Redbone – “Old Familiar Blues” – With The Incredible Cindy Cashdollar On Slide
Music – 1989 – Leon Redbone + Dr. John + Ken Peplowski Live – “Christmas Ball Blues”
Music – 2014 – Leon Redbone Live in Nashville – “Shine On Harvest Moon” – With Scott Black On Coronet
While living in Canada in the late 1960’s, Redbone began performing in public at Toronto area nightclubs and folk music festivals. He met Bob Dylan at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1972. 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].” Dylan said that if he had ever started a label, he would have signed Redbone. His first album, On the Track, was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1975.
Music – 2001 – Leon Redbone – “Your Feets Too Big” – From The Album “Any Time”
Music – 2009- Leon Redbone – “I Ain’t Got Nobody”
Music – 2008 – Leon Redbone Live At Imagine Folk Festival – “Polly Wolly Doodle All Day”
Music – 1981 – Leon Redbone – “My Blue Heaven”
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 1980’s and 1990’s he was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He was also a guest on A Prairie Home Companion.
Music – 1978 – Leon Redbone – “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)” – From Album “Champagne Charlie”
Music – 1976 – Leon Redbone – “Ain’t Misbehavin'” – Live on Saturday Night Live
Music – 1987 – Late Night TV Live – Leon Redbone – The Guitar Master Showing His Mastery Of Scat Singing
A self-taught musician, he played by ear, sometimes changing the chords of established tunes, never rehearsing with a band, and not following set lists. In an interview in the Winter 2017 edition (No. 177) of BING magazine, the publication of the International Club Crosby, clarinetist Dan Levinson recounted working with Redbone:
“I toured with Redbone for 12 years. We used to listen to early Crosby while we were on the road. [Redbone’s] taste in music was more eclectic than that of anyone I’ve ever known — it included Emmett Miller, Blind Blake, Paganini, Caruso, Gene Austin, John McCormack, Moran and Mack, Cliff Edwards, Jelly Roll Morton, Ted Lewis, Mustafa the Castrato, the Hungarian singer Imre Laszlo, Jimmie Rodgers (‘the Singing Brakeman’), Mongolian throat singers, W. C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy … and early Bing Crosby.”
Music – 2013 – Live on Johnny Carson Show – Leon Redbone – “Some Of These Days” – With Bobby Gordon On Clarinet
Music – 1978 – Leon Redbone – “Champagne Charlie” – From The Album of the Same Name
Music – 1979 – Leon Redbone – “Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight” – From “Branch To Branch” Album
Redbone was described as “both a musical artist and a performance artist whose very identity was part of his creative output.” He usually dressed 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 and a black string tie. With his reluctance to discuss his past came speculation that “Leon Redbone” was an alternative identity for another performer. Two common suggestions in years past were Andy Kaufman and Frank Zappa, both of whom Redbone outlived. Though sometimes compared to Zappa and Tom Waits for “the strength and strangeness of his persona”, he exclusively played music from decades before the rock era, and disdained “blatant sound for people to dance to”. In a 1991 interview, he said: “The only thing that interests me is history, reviewing the past and making something out of it.”
Music – 1979 – Leon Redbone – “Desert Blues (Big Chief Buffalo Nickel” – From “On The Track” Album
Music – 1981 – Leon Redbone – “In The Jailhouse Now” – From “Alive and Kickin'” Album
Music – 1992 – Leon Redbone – “Gotta Shake That Thing” – From “Up The Lazy River” Album
Music – 2001 – Leon Redbone – “Any Time” – From The Album of the Same Name
Music – 1973 – Buffalo Folk Festival Live – Leon Redbone – “Walkin’ Stick”
Redbone survived a small plane crash in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on February 12, 1979. He traveled 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.”
Music – 2020 – A Special Live Interview With Leon Redbone – Following His Live Performance In Galway, Ireland
Music – 1981 – Leon Redbone – “Your Cheatin’ Heart” Music – 1981 – Leon Redbone – “Are You Lonesome Tonight”
On May 19, 2015 on his website, his publicist referred to concerns about his health and announced his retirement from performing and recording. Redbone died on May 30, 2019, following complications from dementia. At the time of his death he was living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in hospice care. He is survived by his wife Beryl Handler, daughters Blake and Ashley, and three grandchildren.
Music – 2019 – Special – TIME Video Tribute To Death of Leon Redbone
Music – 2019 – Special – Rock History Music.com With John Beaudin – Tribute To Leon Redbone
Music – 1981 – Leon Redbone – “At The Chocolate Bon Bon Ball” Music – 2001 – Leon Redbone – “Moonlight Bay”
Music – 1988 – Leon Redbone – “She Ain’t Rose” – From “No Regrets” Album
Music – 1991 – Leon Redbone – “Pretty Baby” – From “Sugar” Album
A statement on Redbone’s website noted his death with cheeky humor: “It is with heavy hearts we announce that early this morning, May 30, 2019, Leon Redbone crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127.” His longtime publicist Jim Della Croce confirmed that his age was, in fact, 69.
Music – 1992 – Leon Redbone – “Up The Lazy River”
Music – 2009 – Kitchener Blues Festival Live – Leon Redbone – “Sheik of Araby” – With Paul Asaro on Piano
Music – 1989 – Leon Redbone – “Christmas Island” – From Album of the Same Name
Music – 2001 – Duke Island Park Folk Festival Live – Leon Redbone with Jon Erik Kelso + Dan Levinson + Vince Giodano – “Police Dog Blues” & “She’s My Gal”
Music – 1991 – Leon Redbone – “Sugar” – From Album of the Same Name
The following video is one of my favorite Leon Redbone live performances from 1981 when he performed at The Golden Inn in Golden, New Mexico. Albeit the quality of the video is not very clear…. but the music and sound is outstanding.
Music – 1981 – Leon Redbone Live At The Golden Inn – Golden, New Mexico (dark video but awesome music)
Music – 1987 – Philadelphia Folk Festival Live – Leon Redbone With Cindy Cashdollar & John Gill – “My Good Gal’s Gone Blues”
Music – 1975 – Leon Redbone – “Lazy Bones” – From The Album “On The Tracks”
Music – 1990 – Leon Redbone – “So, Relax”
One of Redbone’s songs, “Seduced”, was featured prominently in the 1978 film The Big Fix. 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 in the film. 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.
Music – 2003 – Leon Redbone & Zooey Deschenal Duet – “Baby It’s Cold Outside” – From Movie “Elf” Soundtrack
Music – 2008 – Leon Redbone & Dr. John Duet – “Frosty The Snowman”
Music – 1992 – Leon Redbone & Bobby Gordan – “Melancholy Baby” – By Two Musical Masters
Music – 1994 – Leon Redbone – “Dancing On Daddy’s Shoes” – From Whistling In The Wind Album
Redbone appeared regularly on the PBS children’s show Between the Lions. On Sesame Street, Redbone sang several songs over film footage, including “Blueberry Mouth”, “Have You Ever”, and “What Do They Do When They Go Wherever They Go?” He also appeared as Leon in the 1988 film Candy Mountain, and on an episode of the TV show Life Goes On. He narrated the 2011 Emmy Award-winning documentary Remembering the Scranton Sirens, celebrating the exceptional, yet little-known, musical legacy of one of the most significant “territory” dance bands in American musical history.
Movie Clip – 1988 – Rare Movie Appearance By Leon Redbone In Movie “Candy Mountain”
Music – 1981 – Sesame Street Special – Leon Redbone Singing “Blueberry Mouth”
Music – 1982 – Sesame Street Special – Leon Redbone Singing “Have You Ever”
Music – 1983 – Sesame Street Special – Leon Redbone Singing “What Do They Do When They Go Where The Go?”
Music – 2011 – Special Film Narrated By Leon Redbone – “Remembering The Scranton Sirens”
Redbone performed in several TV commercials, including Budweiser beer, in which he lay 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.
TV Ad – 1982 – Leon Redbone – “This Bud’s For You” – For Budweiser Beer
TV Ad – 1980 – Leon Redbone Sings Jingle For ALL Laundry Detergent
TV Ad – 1984 – Leon Redbone For Budweiser Beer
TV Ad – 1985 – Leon Redbone For Ken-L Rations “Burger N Bones”
Redbone is the subject of the 2018 short documentary film Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone, by Mako Funasaka, Liam Romalis and Jason Charters, produced by Riddle Films. He was Retro before that was even a term! Like from another Era! He went way back pre-Beatles, pre-Elvis and pre-everybody to the twenties and thirties songs and outplayed every hipster ever! A Cool Dude from the Past! From a Bygone Era! And he did great versions of those standard songs and he was a fine guitar picker! He will be missed! One of a Kind! Leon Redbone’s anachronistic stage persona often seemed to eclipse his exceptional musicianship. Behind the quirky style, he was a serious craftsman and a gifted artist. His art was a gift to us all. I hope he’s found his own Blue Heaven. Leon Redbone appeared out of the ether, fully formed, as a time traveler, showing us that who we are, is who we were. Then, once he saw he had secured the music’s immortality, he slipped back into the eternal plane from whence he came. He came from self-created obscurity, but he shall not fade into such!
Music – 1977 – Leon Redbone Live On Stage – “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone”
Music – 1981 – Leon Redbone – “Why” – From “Branch To Branch” Album
