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While his gravelly baritone and omnipresent fedora, dark glasses, and
Groucho Marx mustache made him one of the more distinct and recognizable characters in popular music, little is known about the neo-vaudeville crooner
Leon Redbone. Throughout his career, he steadfastly refused to divulge any information about his background or personal life; according to legend,
Redbone's desire to protect his privacy was so intense that when he was approached by the famed producer John Hammond, the contact number he gave was not his own phone, but that of a dial-a-joke service.
Because
Redbone first emerged as a performer in Toronto during the 1970s, he was believed to be Canadian, though some sources have cited his birthplace as the Greek island of Cyprus or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A Canadian magazine profile in the '80s reported that his birth name was Dickran Gobalian, though
Redbone has never confirmed or denied that. His musical style was a revival of pre-World War II ragtime, jazz, and blues sounds, recalling the work of performers ranging from
Jelly Roll Morton and
Bing Crosby to blackface star
Emmett Miller.
Redbone first came to the attention of mainstream music fans when
Bob Dylan saw him perform at the 1974 Mariposa Folk Festival in Ontario. Several months later,
Dylan spoke about him in an interview with Rolling Stone. "
Leon interests me,"
Dylan said. "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."
Redbone landed a recording contract with Warner Bros. and made his recording debut in 1976 with
On the Track, which featured legendary jazz violinist
Joe Venuti as well as singer/songwriter
Don McLean. His 1977 follow-up,
Double Time, even reached the U.S. Top 40 charts, largely on the strength of his frequent appearances on television's Saturday Night Live.
After 1978's
Champagne Charlie,
Redbone began recording only sporadically; following 1981's
Branch to Branch, he waited four years before re-entering the studio to cut
Red to Blue. Invariably, his albums featured guest appearances from an eclectic cast of luminaries: while 1987's
Christmas Island included a cameo by
Dr. John, 1994's
Whistling in the Wind included duets with
Ringo Starr and
Merle Haggard, and 2001's
Any Time featured contributions from such jazz luminaries as guitarist
Frank Vignola, reedman
Ken Peplowski, and bassist
Jay Leonhart. After a long layoff from recording,
Redbone returned in 2014 with Flying By.
Despite his low profile,
Redbone earned a certain measure of fame as a fixture in various television advertising campaigns, as well as frequent television appearances and his vocal cameo as a singing snowman in the 2003 movie Elf. In 2015,
Redbone announced he was retiring from live performances, citing health problems. A year later,
Jack White's Third Man Records released
Long Way from Home, a collection of
Redbone's early radio performances recorded in 1972. A short documentary about the singer, Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone: The Search for Leon Redbone, was released in 2018.
Redbone retired from performing in 2015, with his spokespeople revealing he was dealing with health problems, and his death was announced on his official website on May 30, 2019. While
Redbone's age at the time of his death was 69, the official statement cheekily referenced the mystery of his age and background by declaring, "Leon Redbone crossed the Delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127." ~ Jason Ankeny