Leon Redbone

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Leon Redbone (2010)

Leon Redbone (* 26. August 1949 as Dickran Gobalian on Cyprus ; † 30th May 2019 in New Hope , Pennsylvania ) was a Canadian singer and guitarist .

He had specialized in the music of the early 1920s and interpreted jazz , blues and the classics of the so-called Tin-Pan-Alley - popular music . He has released fifteen music albums.

Life

His ancestors were Cypriot Turks. From Cyprus he emigrated to London , where he attended secondary school. In 1964 he emigrated to Toronto (Canada). He kept a great secret about his origins and his identity and made false statements about his past and his private life for fun. It is believed that he was married to jazz producer Beryl Handler . The couple were involved in the production of Redbone's 2001 album Anytime. He died on May 30, 2019.

Career

Redbone's first stage appearance was in the summer of 1971 at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Orillia , Ontario, Canada . During the early 1970s, Redbone began performing at small folk festivals and nightclubs within Toronto . Due to his appearance, rumors accumulated around this time that Redbone was probably the comedian Andy Kaufman , who appears under a different identity, or that he was the singer Frank Zappa , who looked very similar to Redbone. After the deaths of Kaufman and Zappa, the rumors subsided again.

In 1975 his first album On the Track was released by Warner Bros. Records . His appearances as a regular frequenter - Musicians from 1976 to 1983 in the Saturday night show Saturday Night Live on NBC to a wider audience became known Redbone. During the 1980s and 1990s, Redbone was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show .

Redbone had a number of appearances, such as in the American comic series Mister Boffo and in The Far Side . He developed the theme song for the popular 1980s sitcom Mr. Belvedere and appeared regularly on PBS on the children's show Between the Lions .

Together with Zooey Deschanel , he sang a cover version of Frank Loesser's romantic song Baby, It's Cold Outside for the credits of the 2003 film Elf (German title Buddy - The Christmas Elf ). He also lent his characteristic voice as a voice actor to Leon the Snowman in the film of the same name. On his 1987 album Christmas Island , he wears a version of Frosty the Snowman with Dr. John before.

He has produced pieces of music for television and has also appeared in commercials . The most famous commercial with Leon Redbone as the actor is an advertisement for Budweiser beer, in which he hovers on a magic carpet over a beach and sings: This Bud's for You (translated as a play on words: This Bud is for you and I only do that for you ).

Trademark

With his clothes, Leon Redbone was reminiscent of the vaudeville theater era . During his performances, he often wore a white suit with black pinstripes , a panama hat, and dark sunglasses. After a song recital, he would sometimes quickly take off his hat and raise his eyebrows, making his facial expressions extremely funny and making the audience laugh. His performances were enriched with comical slapstick interludes.

Discography

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
On the track
  US 87 10/23/1976 (15 weeks)
Double time
  US 38 05.03.1977 (13 weeks)
Champagne Charlie
  US 163 09/30/1978 (4 weeks)
From branch to branch
  US 152 05/23/1981 (11 weeks)
Singles
Seduced
  US 72 04/11/1981 (6 weeks)

Albums

  • 1975: On the Track
  • 1977: Double Time
  • 1978: Champagne Charlie
  • 1981: From Branch to Branch
  • 1982: Mystery Man
  • 1985: Live
  • 1985: Red to Blue
  • 1987: Christmas Island
  • 1988: No Regrets
  • 1991: Sugar
  • 1992: Up a Lazy River
  • 1994: Whistling in the Wind
  • 2001: Any Time
  • 2005: Live (October 26, 1992 The Olympia Theater Paris, France)
  • 2014: Flying By
  • 2016: Long Way from Home
  • 2018: Strings and Jokes (Live in Bremen 1977)

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ a b "Leon Redbone death: Singer-songwriter and early musical guest on Saturday Night Live dies, aged 69" , The Independent, dated May 30, 2019
  2. ↑ Redbone careful to preserve the mystery in: The Star, June 13, 2007
  3. ↑ a b Chart sources: US
personal data
SURNAME Redbone, Leon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dickran, Gobalian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian entertainer and singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 26, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Cyprus
DATE OF DEATH May 30, 2019
Place of death New Hope