LEON REDBONE
"Oh behave yourselves"
R.I.P.
Leon Redbone meant a great deal to me and I think I have every album so I am especially sad to hear reports announcing his death at 69. In keeping with everything Redbone and a nod of the fedora (or pith helmet!) to his roots music of a different era, the announcement mentioned his age as 127!
Humour was never far away with Leon's choice of song to cover and specialised, like Ry Cooder, in researching really old vaudeville and roots songs from the 'Sheik of Araby' to 'Champagne Charlie' to dance band numbers of the turn of the twentieth century dance band music from 'Diddy Wah Diddy' to 'Seduced', to 'Shine on Harvest Moon' and 'Up a Lazy River' or even 'Polly Wolly Doodle'. Bob Dylan discovered him early on at the Mariposa Folk Festival and mentioned him in an interview with Rolling Stone causing them to feature an article on him a year before anyone had signed him to a recording deal.
Leon was notably mysterious about his origins and even his identity (some folks claimed he was in fact Andy Kauffman or even Frank Zappa!He would outlive them both) and he often laid claim to having written many songs composed in Tin Pan Alley long before he was even born but in fact was born in Cyprus to Armenian parents. In the sixties they lived in London but emigrated to Canada.
He was unique and accompanied on his little parlour guitar with the ever present moustache and stylish headgear with those mellifluous tones crooning out the oldest and loveliest and often most hilarious of classics, Only Leon perhaps could talk Dr John into covering Frosty The Snowman [sic]! I recall my mother was astonished to find out about him and loved that we shared an interest in his music. She adored him too!
Leon passed away this morning aged 69 in a hospice in Pennsylvania
I for one will miss him sorely.
Maybe for those who didn't know him . . . . . .
The nearest he came to hit in the UK was this that had been used for an advert for . . .the railways I believe (actually an INTERCITY PROMO)
In typical whimsical fashion it seem Redbone had prepared his own announcement, having retired from performing back in 2015 for 'health reasons' his website stated:
“It is with heavy hearts we announce that early this morning, May 30th, 2019, Leon Redbone crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127,” it read. “He departed our world with his guitar, his trusty companion Rover, and a simple tip of his hat. He’s interested to see what Blind Blake, Emmett, and Jelly Roll have been up to in his absence and has plans for a rousing sing along number with Sári Barabás. An eternity of pouring through texts in the Library of Ashurbanipal will be a welcome repose, perhaps followed by a shot or two of whiskey with Lee Morse, and some long overdue discussions with his favorite Uncle, Suppiluliuma I of the Hittites. To his fans, friends, and loving family who have already been missing him so in this realm he says, ‘Oh behave yourselves. Thank you…. and good evening everybody.'”
Good night, Leon
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