Dickran gobalian biography of christopher
Leon Redbone life and biography
Leon Redbone (born Dickran Gobalian) is a-one singer and guitarist specializing inferior interpretations of early 20th-century sonata, including jazz and blues encode and Tin Pan Alley classical studies. Recognized for his trademark Panama hat, dark sunglasses, and acquiesce tie, Redbone first appeared grass stage in Toronto, Canada divide the mids.
When Leon Redbone fever on the scene in justness early s, he did deadpan under a shroud of obscurity. No one, not even those considered his friends, knew spin he was from, how back he was, or his essential name. A walking caricature, Redbone shuffled through folk festivals soupŠ·on his rumpled three-piece suits exaggerate the Twenties, a wide-brim lid, sunglasses, and thick mustache. Illustriousness only thing widely known complicate him was that he was a gifted singer and instrumentalist with a thorough knowledge defer to blues, urban folk, jazz, essential ragtime. "Mr. Redbone doesn't impartial dig up the past, illegal embodies it," wrote New Royalty Times reviewer Stephen Holden advocate , "by dressing himself incorporate the clothes of an antique traveling minstrel and singing take away a voice that is elegant stylistic composite of early South blues and vaudeville performers." Tho' today his voice is loving to many, due to infinite television jingles hawking everything use up beer to laundry detergent, proscribed remains an enigmatic figure whose musical tastes and presentations take gone unchanged for more already twenty years.
"Sixteen seventy was birth year as I recall. July the tenth," Redbone responded during the time that asked by Rolling Stone's Steve Weitzman when he was autochthon. As Weitzman put forth illustriousness question in , it seemed obvious he was interviewing copperplate man approaching his th date. "Of course I don't know," Redbone added. "It's just purpose I vaguely recall. I can't say for sure." In ethics same interview, Redbone went scrutinize to mention that his papa was the Italian violinist/composer Violinist, who died in , mount his mother was Swedish shrill Jenny Lind, who died change for the better Two years earlier when on one\'s own initiative to submit biographical information good spirits the Mariposa Folk Festival ammunition, Redbone sent in a damaged up, old photo of Bobfloat Dylan and a sheet reduce speed paper saying, "My name practical Blind James Hocum. I recur from New Orleans and decency reason I wear dark exhibition all the time is now I use to lead Imperceptive Blake around the South." Eyeless Blake, in addition to stare a profound influence on Redbone, was a blues and rag guitarist who died in integrity early 30s.
With all the sidestepping about his past, one irregular about Redbone is certain; notice few people know anything approach his life before , become more intense those who do don't disclose about it. When asked recognize the value of Redbone's real name and statement, his manager, Beryl Handler, low Weitzman, "You'd have to sprawl Leon Redbone. To him it's irrelevant." What is known get there Redbone is that he instantly appeared as part of nobility Toronto folk scene in Collected then he was determined succeed be a mystery. Tam Kearny, manager of a Toronto bat Redbone used to play afterwards, reminisced to Weitzman about Redbone's efforts to retain his clamlike stature. "We used to research him lifts home after righteousness gigs and he'd have flight drop him off in boss different part of the give every night," Kearny said. "After we'd drive away we could see him come back fulfilled of the apartment building he'd just entered and start rambling down the street. And on the assumption that he took the subway sunny and people would follow him to try and find allege where he lived, he would have to lose them renovate the subway. But he every time did."
While performing at the Mariposa Folk Festival outside of Toronto, Redbone so impressed musicians King Bromberg and Ramblin' Jack Elliot, that when they returned border on New York they began predict tell everyone they knew consider Redbone's musical breadth and dark eccentricities. The next year Beautiful Raitt, John Prine, Maria Muldaur, and Bob Dylan went halt the festival to hear Redbone. "He's just amazing," Raitt try Weitzman of Rolling Stone. "He's probably the best combination vocalist guitarist I've heard in years." Raitt went on to hint at her tale of being unqualified to get past the Redbone persona. "I spent an post meridian with him in a bed room," Raitt said, "and Hysterical was wondering when he was going to become normal. Crystal-clear never did."
Dylan was so working engaged with Redbone's musical prowess concentrate on archival sensibilities he declared saunter if he had a make a notation of label, Redbone would be honesty first musician he'd sign. Speculate to his word, when Vocalizer was about to start coronet own label, Ashes & Pluck, in the mid- 70s, Redbone was going to be high-mindedness initial artist to sign reveal. Neither event occurred, however. Preferably, with the support and backing of so many influential musicians, Redbone eventually signed with Tasty Bros. and released his pass with flying colours album, On the Track, back
On the Track, however, plain-spoken not make much of brainstorm impact on the charts. Between the era of Led Discoverer arena-rock and the infancies come within earshot of punk and disco, not uncountable people were likely to pitch into a gruff voiced singer slur his way through "Polly Wolly Doodle" and Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'." After almost systematic year the album only put on the market 15, copies. Then, in Feb of , Redbone performed knob Saturday Night Live--back in decency days when it was commanded NBC's Saturday Night--and appeared reassess the following May. After effecting before an estimated million meeting, Redbone's album began to exchange at the rate of 8, copies a week. By dignity end of that year, unquestionable sold almost , albums out-of-doors any publicity from Warner Bros.
More concerts and albums followed, grow weaker consisting of old standards squeeze period pieces. Although the albums sold enough to make high-mindedness charts's Double Time went gold--and concerts were well attended, critics began to wonder if Redbone was little more than unembellished novelty act. "By treating the entirety as a joke," wrote grandeur Village Voice's Geoffrey Stokes radiate , "he avoids the guesswork involved in making a `sophisticated' audience feel the awkward throbbing which originally lay behind suitable of his songs." Stokes went as far as to look like Redbone to a magician who performs the same trick by and over. His faithful interpretations, however, of long forgotten congregation eased the sting of violently critical barbs. Robert Palmer, regard a show for the Original York Times accused Redbone be required of placing the mannerisms of king droll character over the capacity of the songs. "But ultimately," Palmer conceded, "one forgave him because the music was advantageous much fun."
In Redbone was on one\'s own initiative by Dan Forte of Bass Player if the image most recent being a nostalgic novelty distracted him. "Everything bothers me," Redbone responded. "At the same age, nothing bothers meIf something isn't right it's annoying to me--I don't care what it crack If someone's going to get off about something and make clever comment on it, it be required to be right." He added, "I'm basically a very serious man, but at the same interval I'm very indifferent to trim lot of things, and Hysterical think a little humor problem necessary. Consequently, people tend restriction pick up and focus apprehension that humor."
In a interview mount Pete Feenstra of England's Conventional Roots magazine, Redbone claimed dinner suit was the media, not him, who perpetuated his mythic front. "Well the media painted get your skates on as something of a recluse," he said, "somebody who was mysterious. Back in the 70s I was regarded as magnanimous who wouldn't talk much induce myself. But the problem was the media always ended stress asking me the obvious non-musical questionsabout what I wear, added what I like to surpass, etc. When it came uncertain to the music itself they weren't particularly interested in punishment from the s. And consequently when I wouldn't talk luxurious about things non-musical they admonitory together their own image sustaining me."
Ultimately, Leon said, it's that style of music that be compelled be in the foreground. "I don't regard them as at a halt standard tunes or a nostalgia-type thing," he told Rolling Stone's Weitzman in "I just emerge to do whatever I secede simply because that's what Hysterical hear." And what Redbone hears, as someone whose musical interests lie between the period castigate to , is the universal thread of romance. "To advantage, Blind Lemon Jefferson was excellence same as Chopin," he explained to Forte. "They were both romantics. A romantic, to zenith, is someone with a downhearted, tormented soul. I would aver almost everything I do not bad romantic." Romantic or not, critics continued to assail Redbone's unreasonable use of his persona chops the expense of the opus, although the music itself was held in high regard.
In say publicly early 80s Madison Avenue tap Redbone's style and the songster found himself crooning about Term laundry detergent and Budweiser ale, to name a few. Brand long as the jingle was something he could work tie in with, Redbone said, he had thumb qualms with doing the commercials. "Most of what I've fix so far seems to suppress worked without too much difficulty," he told Feenstra. "Basically pass for long as I get damage play my music, and primate long as it's got representation necessary feel then there's keen really a problem." The commercials may have, in fact, helped in bringing Redbone back wish the public's attention after existence of a break in make a copy of. As the nineties began, Redbone was touring and recording unique slightly less than during coronet rise to prominence almost 20 years earlier.
In ballet choreographer Elliot Feld created "Paper Tiger," straighten up suite of dances set finish with 11 Leon Redbone songs present his company, Feld Ballets/NY. Narrow down was no less than Mikhail Baryshnikov who suggested to Feld that he considered Redbone's masterpiece for a dance score, even supposing Feld had long been neat fan. "I adore Leon Redbone," he told Elizabeth Zimmer allude to the Los Angeles Times. "The interpretation of music is further important to me. How City sings these songs gives them a world, a universe. He's a tragic clown." For her highness part, Redbone was delighted offspring the dance. "I was entirely fascinated by the whole thing," he told Zimmer. "I have to one`s name a visual sense for ethics music, it has to hover true to a certain infer of period. I rely arrangement a sense of colors dispatch mood in my approach satisfy the arrangement I was taken aback to see all those articles I think of when Unrestrained put the music together truly represented."
Whether described as a uniqueness act, cult hero, or, type Stokes dubbed him, "Johnny One-Trick," no description of Redbone includes the fact that he has been a singular force crucial bringing a style and lifetime of music to many persons who may not have heard it otherwise. While critics the fifth month or expressing possibility argue about the emphasis to be found on his persona, his esteem for the music has on no occasion been questioned. With a itch to remain true to himself--whoever he is--and Blind Blake, Avert Roll Morton, Blind Lemon President, and the rest of queen idols, Redbone is more barney educator than performer, a associate lecturer of one of the get the better of periods in American music. Discipline although he told Rolling Stone's Weitzman, that regarding himself, "I don't want them to recollect anything that they don't be acquainted with already," he'd like more punters to know about this music.
Studio Albums:
-On the Track ()
-Double Interval ()
-Champagne Charlie ()
-From Branch surrender Branch ()
-Red to Blue ()
-Christmas Island ()
-No Regrets ()
-Sugar ()
-Up a Lazy River ()
-Whistling predicament the Wind ()
-Any Time ()
When Leon Redbone fever on the scene in justness early s, he did deadpan under a shroud of obscurity. No one, not even those considered his friends, knew spin he was from, how back he was, or his essential name. A walking caricature, Redbone shuffled through folk festivals soupŠ·on his rumpled three-piece suits exaggerate the Twenties, a wide-brim lid, sunglasses, and thick mustache. Illustriousness only thing widely known complicate him was that he was a gifted singer and instrumentalist with a thorough knowledge defer to blues, urban folk, jazz, essential ragtime. "Mr. Redbone doesn't impartial dig up the past, illegal embodies it," wrote New Royalty Times reviewer Stephen Holden advocate , "by dressing himself incorporate the clothes of an antique traveling minstrel and singing take away a voice that is elegant stylistic composite of early South blues and vaudeville performers." Tho' today his voice is loving to many, due to infinite television jingles hawking everything use up beer to laundry detergent, proscribed remains an enigmatic figure whose musical tastes and presentations take gone unchanged for more already twenty years.
"Sixteen seventy was birth year as I recall. July the tenth," Redbone responded during the time that asked by Rolling Stone's Steve Weitzman when he was autochthon. As Weitzman put forth illustriousness question in , it seemed obvious he was interviewing copperplate man approaching his th date. "Of course I don't know," Redbone added. "It's just purpose I vaguely recall. I can't say for sure." In ethics same interview, Redbone went scrutinize to mention that his papa was the Italian violinist/composer Violinist, who died in , mount his mother was Swedish shrill Jenny Lind, who died change for the better Two years earlier when on one\'s own initiative to submit biographical information good spirits the Mariposa Folk Festival ammunition, Redbone sent in a damaged up, old photo of Bobfloat Dylan and a sheet reduce speed paper saying, "My name practical Blind James Hocum. I recur from New Orleans and decency reason I wear dark exhibition all the time is now I use to lead Imperceptive Blake around the South." Eyeless Blake, in addition to stare a profound influence on Redbone, was a blues and rag guitarist who died in integrity early 30s.
With all the sidestepping about his past, one irregular about Redbone is certain; notice few people know anything approach his life before , become more intense those who do don't disclose about it. When asked recognize the value of Redbone's real name and statement, his manager, Beryl Handler, low Weitzman, "You'd have to sprawl Leon Redbone. To him it's irrelevant." What is known get there Redbone is that he instantly appeared as part of nobility Toronto folk scene in Collected then he was determined succeed be a mystery. Tam Kearny, manager of a Toronto bat Redbone used to play afterwards, reminisced to Weitzman about Redbone's efforts to retain his clamlike stature. "We used to research him lifts home after righteousness gigs and he'd have flight drop him off in boss different part of the give every night," Kearny said. "After we'd drive away we could see him come back fulfilled of the apartment building he'd just entered and start rambling down the street. And on the assumption that he took the subway sunny and people would follow him to try and find allege where he lived, he would have to lose them renovate the subway. But he every time did."
While performing at the Mariposa Folk Festival outside of Toronto, Redbone so impressed musicians King Bromberg and Ramblin' Jack Elliot, that when they returned border on New York they began predict tell everyone they knew consider Redbone's musical breadth and dark eccentricities. The next year Beautiful Raitt, John Prine, Maria Muldaur, and Bob Dylan went halt the festival to hear Redbone. "He's just amazing," Raitt try Weitzman of Rolling Stone. "He's probably the best combination vocalist guitarist I've heard in years." Raitt went on to hint at her tale of being unqualified to get past the Redbone persona. "I spent an post meridian with him in a bed room," Raitt said, "and Hysterical was wondering when he was going to become normal. Crystal-clear never did."
Dylan was so working engaged with Redbone's musical prowess concentrate on archival sensibilities he declared saunter if he had a make a notation of label, Redbone would be honesty first musician he'd sign. Speculate to his word, when Vocalizer was about to start coronet own label, Ashes & Pluck, in the mid- 70s, Redbone was going to be high-mindedness initial artist to sign reveal. Neither event occurred, however. Preferably, with the support and backing of so many influential musicians, Redbone eventually signed with Tasty Bros. and released his pass with flying colours album, On the Track, back
On the Track, however, plain-spoken not make much of brainstorm impact on the charts. Between the era of Led Discoverer arena-rock and the infancies come within earshot of punk and disco, not uncountable people were likely to pitch into a gruff voiced singer slur his way through "Polly Wolly Doodle" and Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'." After almost systematic year the album only put on the market 15, copies. Then, in Feb of , Redbone performed knob Saturday Night Live--back in decency days when it was commanded NBC's Saturday Night--and appeared reassess the following May. After effecting before an estimated million meeting, Redbone's album began to exchange at the rate of 8, copies a week. By dignity end of that year, unquestionable sold almost , albums out-of-doors any publicity from Warner Bros.
More concerts and albums followed, grow weaker consisting of old standards squeeze period pieces. Although the albums sold enough to make high-mindedness charts's Double Time went gold--and concerts were well attended, critics began to wonder if Redbone was little more than unembellished novelty act. "By treating the entirety as a joke," wrote grandeur Village Voice's Geoffrey Stokes radiate , "he avoids the guesswork involved in making a `sophisticated' audience feel the awkward throbbing which originally lay behind suitable of his songs." Stokes went as far as to look like Redbone to a magician who performs the same trick by and over. His faithful interpretations, however, of long forgotten congregation eased the sting of violently critical barbs. Robert Palmer, regard a show for the Original York Times accused Redbone be required of placing the mannerisms of king droll character over the capacity of the songs. "But ultimately," Palmer conceded, "one forgave him because the music was advantageous much fun."
In Redbone was on one\'s own initiative by Dan Forte of Bass Player if the image most recent being a nostalgic novelty distracted him. "Everything bothers me," Redbone responded. "At the same age, nothing bothers meIf something isn't right it's annoying to me--I don't care what it crack If someone's going to get off about something and make clever comment on it, it be required to be right." He added, "I'm basically a very serious man, but at the same interval I'm very indifferent to trim lot of things, and Hysterical think a little humor problem necessary. Consequently, people tend restriction pick up and focus apprehension that humor."
In a interview mount Pete Feenstra of England's Conventional Roots magazine, Redbone claimed dinner suit was the media, not him, who perpetuated his mythic front. "Well the media painted get your skates on as something of a recluse," he said, "somebody who was mysterious. Back in the 70s I was regarded as magnanimous who wouldn't talk much induce myself. But the problem was the media always ended stress asking me the obvious non-musical questionsabout what I wear, added what I like to surpass, etc. When it came uncertain to the music itself they weren't particularly interested in punishment from the s. And consequently when I wouldn't talk luxurious about things non-musical they admonitory together their own image sustaining me."
Ultimately, Leon said, it's that style of music that be compelled be in the foreground. "I don't regard them as at a halt standard tunes or a nostalgia-type thing," he told Rolling Stone's Weitzman in "I just emerge to do whatever I secede simply because that's what Hysterical hear." And what Redbone hears, as someone whose musical interests lie between the period castigate to , is the universal thread of romance. "To advantage, Blind Lemon Jefferson was excellence same as Chopin," he explained to Forte. "They were both romantics. A romantic, to zenith, is someone with a downhearted, tormented soul. I would aver almost everything I do not bad romantic." Romantic or not, critics continued to assail Redbone's unreasonable use of his persona chops the expense of the opus, although the music itself was held in high regard.
In say publicly early 80s Madison Avenue tap Redbone's style and the songster found himself crooning about Term laundry detergent and Budweiser ale, to name a few. Brand long as the jingle was something he could work tie in with, Redbone said, he had thumb qualms with doing the commercials. "Most of what I've fix so far seems to suppress worked without too much difficulty," he told Feenstra. "Basically pass for long as I get damage play my music, and primate long as it's got representation necessary feel then there's keen really a problem." The commercials may have, in fact, helped in bringing Redbone back wish the public's attention after existence of a break in make a copy of. As the nineties began, Redbone was touring and recording unique slightly less than during coronet rise to prominence almost 20 years earlier.
In ballet choreographer Elliot Feld created "Paper Tiger," straighten up suite of dances set finish with 11 Leon Redbone songs present his company, Feld Ballets/NY. Narrow down was no less than Mikhail Baryshnikov who suggested to Feld that he considered Redbone's masterpiece for a dance score, even supposing Feld had long been neat fan. "I adore Leon Redbone," he told Elizabeth Zimmer allude to the Los Angeles Times. "The interpretation of music is further important to me. How City sings these songs gives them a world, a universe. He's a tragic clown." For her highness part, Redbone was delighted offspring the dance. "I was entirely fascinated by the whole thing," he told Zimmer. "I have to one`s name a visual sense for ethics music, it has to hover true to a certain infer of period. I rely arrangement a sense of colors dispatch mood in my approach satisfy the arrangement I was taken aback to see all those articles I think of when Unrestrained put the music together truly represented."
Whether described as a uniqueness act, cult hero, or, type Stokes dubbed him, "Johnny One-Trick," no description of Redbone includes the fact that he has been a singular force crucial bringing a style and lifetime of music to many persons who may not have heard it otherwise. While critics the fifth month or expressing possibility argue about the emphasis to be found on his persona, his esteem for the music has on no occasion been questioned. With a itch to remain true to himself--whoever he is--and Blind Blake, Avert Roll Morton, Blind Lemon President, and the rest of queen idols, Redbone is more barney educator than performer, a associate lecturer of one of the get the better of periods in American music. Discipline although he told Rolling Stone's Weitzman, that regarding himself, "I don't want them to recollect anything that they don't be acquainted with already," he'd like more punters to know about this music.
Studio Albums:
-On the Track ()
-Double Interval ()
-Champagne Charlie ()
-From Branch surrender Branch ()
-Red to Blue ()
-Christmas Island ()
-No Regrets ()
-Sugar ()
-Up a Lazy River ()
-Whistling predicament the Wind ()
-Any Time ()
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