Dickran gobalian biography definition

Musician, songwriter, arranger, producer (1949–2019)

This article is about the conductor. For other uses, see Redbone.

Musical artist

Leon Redbone (born Dickran Gobalian;^[2][3] August 26, 1949 – May well 30, 2019) was a singer-songwriter and musician specializing in superfluity, blues, and Tin Pan Street classics.

Recognized by his consider it (often a Panama), dark glasses, and black tie, he was born in Cyprus of Asian ancestry and first appeared deem stage in Toronto, Canada, appearance the early 1970s. He as well appeared on film and compel in acting and voice-over roles.

In concert, Redbone often working engaged comedy and demonstrated his guitar-playing skill.

His recurrent gags intricate the influence of alcohol settle down claims he had written expression originating well before he was born. He favored music intelligent the Tin Pan Alley epoch, circa 1890–1910. He sang distinction theme to the 1980s flatten series Mr. Belvedere, and unfastened 18 albums.

Early life

Redbone was elusive about his origins, become peaceful never explained the origin be a devotee of his stage name.^[2] According regard a Toronto Star report acquire the 1980s, he came correspond with Canada in the mid-1960s, delighted changed his name via blue blood the gentry Ontario Change of Name Act.^[4] Biographical research published in 2019 corroborated his birth name, stand for confirmed that his family was of Armenian origin.^[2] His parents lived in Jerusalem,^[1] but muted in 1948 for Nicosia, Land, where Redbone was born.

Outdo 1961, the family had false to London, England, and through 1965 to Toronto.^[2]

Career

While living be thankful for Canada in the late 1960s,^[2] Redbone began performing in habitual at Toronto area nightclubs tube folk music festivals. He fall over Bob Dylan at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1972.

Songster was so impressed by Redbone's performance that he mentioned clean out in a Rolling Stone interview,^[5] leading that magazine to ball a feature article on Redbone a year before he esoteric a recording contract.^[6] The item described his performances as "so authentic you can hear decency surface noise [of an decrepit 78 rpm]."^[7] Dylan said ditch if he had ever under way a label, he would own acquire signed Redbone.^[8] Redbone's first ep, On the Track, was unconfined by Warner Bros.

Records pierce 1975.^[7]

He was introduced to efficient larger public as a semi-regular musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live, appearing twice grind the first season.^[9][10] During representation 1980s and '90s he was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

He was also a customer on A Prairie Home Companion.^[11]

A self-taught musician, he played by way of ear, sometimes changing the chords of established tunes, never practice session with a band, and throng together following set lists.^[2] In swindler interview in the Winter 2017 edition (No.

177) of BING magazine, the publication of honourableness International Club Crosby, clarinetist Dan Levinson recounted working with Redbone:

I toured with Redbone expend 12 years. We used like listen to early Crosby to the fullest we were on the means. [Redbone's] taste in music was more eclectic than that pale anyone I've ever known – it included Emmett Miller, Stoneblind Blake, Paganini, Caruso, Gene Austin, John McCormack, Moran and Flesh-pedlar, Cliff Edwards, Jelly Roll Jazzman, Ted Lewis, Mustafa the Castrato, the Hungarian singer Imre Laszlo, Jimmie Rodgers ('the Singing Brakeman'), Mongolian throat singers, W.

Catch-phrase. Fields, Laurel and Hardy ... and early Bing Crosby.

Redbone was described as "both a tuneful artist and a performance maven whose very identity was piece of his creative output."^[2] Prohibited usually dressed in attire similar of the Vaudeville era, carrying out in a Panama hat dictate a black band and unilluminated sunglasses, often while sitting fuzz attention on a stool, work to rule a white coat and plea and a black string tie.^[12] With his reluctance to confer his past came speculation go off "Leon Redbone" was an different identity for another performer.^[13] Digit common suggestions in years over were Andy Kaufman and Open Zappa,^[14] both of whom Redbone outlived.

Though sometimes compared skin Zappa and Tom Waits friendship "the strength and strangeness vacation his persona", he almost largely played music from decades heretofore the rock era, occasionally handwriting his own new material detect a similar blues-influenced Tin Frying-pan Alley style. (As well, Redbone's only Billboard chart hit, "Seduced", was a newly written take care of by Gary Tigerman arranged whitehead Redbone's decades-old style.) Redbone disdained "blatant sound for people optimism dance to",^[2] and in unornamented 1991 interview, he said: "The only thing that interests loosen is history, reviewing the former and making something out discern it."^[2]

Redbone survived a small smooth crash in Clarksburg, West Colony, on February 12, 1979.^[4] Crystalclear thereafter traveled to engagements expressly by car, saying, "I nickname around many unusual items existing devices.

They make life rainy for airport security personnel status flying impossible for me."^[4]

On Can 19, 2015 on his site, his publicist referred to affairs about his health and declared his retirement from performing add-on recording.^[15]

Death

Redbone died on May 30, 2019, from the effects recall dementia.^[16] At the time put your feet up was living in New Dribble, Pennsylvania, in hospice care.^[8][17] Stylishness was survived by his partner Beryl Handler, daughters Blake stomach Ashley, and three grandchildren.^[18]

A account on Redbone's website noted surmount death with cheeky humor: "It is with heavy hearts surprise announce that early this morn, May 30, 2019, Leon Redbone crossed the delta for deviate beautiful shore at the whittle of 127.

He departed outline world with his guitar, top trusty companion Rover, and uncomplicated simple tip of his hat."^[19][20] His longtime publicist Jim Della Croce confirmed that Redbone was actually 69.^[8]

Appearances in other media

One of Redbone's songs, "Seduced", was featured prominently in the 1978 film The Big Fix.

Oversight sang "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Zooey Deschanel over loftiness closing credits of the 2003 film Elf^[21] and provided magnanimity voice of Leon the Snowman in the film.^[22] He finished the theme songs for influence TV shows Mr. Belvedere settle down Harry and the Hendersons.^[23]

Redbone arrived regularly on the PBS for kids show Between the Lions.^[24] Get done Sesame Street, he sang indefinite songs over film footage, as well as "Blueberry Mouth", "Have You Ever", and "What Do They Dent When They Go Wherever They Go?" He also appeared primate Leon in the 1988 crust Candy Mountain,^[25] and on distinctive episode of the TV county show Life Goes On.^[26] He narrated the 2011 Emmy Award-winning pic Remembering the Sirens, celebrating decency exceptional, yet little-known musical inheritance birthright of the Scranton Sirens, susceptible of the most significant "territory" dance bands in American harmonious history.^[27]

He performed in TV commercials for various companies, including Budweiser beer (where he lay approval a surfboard singing "This Bud's for You"^[28]), the U.S.

means of expression brand Geo,^[29]All laundry detergent,^[30] queue InterCity British Rail service (where he sang the song "Relax"^[31]). He also lent his utterly to an animated caricature put himself in a commercial to about Ken-L Ration dog food.^[32]

Redbone was 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, disappoint a amount to by Riddle Films.^[33]

Discography

Source:^[34]

Studio albums

Live albums

• Live & Kickin' (Purple Pyramid / Cleopatra, 1981)
• Mystery Man (Accord, 1982) 
• Leon Redbone Live (Green Stone, 1985)
• Live! (truncated swap of 1985 release) (Pair, 1991) 
• Live – October 26, 1992: The Champaign Theater, Paris, France (Rounder, 2005)^[36] 
• Strings & Jokes: Live in Bremen 1977 (MIG, 2018) 
• If We Insinuating Meet Again (Concert Archive-Delta-Special Chains store, 2021)

References

External links