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. Thank you…. That song title, which dates back to , was adapted as the name of a documentary about Redbone that premiered at festivals in but has not yet been widely released. He does old Jimmie Rodgers, then turns around and does a Robert Johnson.
Wunnerful, wunnerful. The s folk revival restored awareness about influential American blues players. But other worlds of old music and performance were left in mothballs: ragtime and old-time jazz and the sounds of vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley. By projecting a persona without a detail-filled biography — essentially a caricature — Redbone deflected attention from himself though stylishly so and back to his songs.
Biographical details did emerge, possibly against his best wishes, even if they stood little competition against the enduring enigma his fans enjoyed. It may be urban legend, but the story goes that when music industry legend John Hammond asked Redbone for his phone contact, it turned out to be the number for Dial-a-Joke.
That album cover featured not a photo of Redbone, but rather a Chuck Jones drawing of the character Michigan J. At a concert at L. Dylan was so taken with Redbone's musical prowess and archival sensibilities he declared that if he had a record label, Redbone would be the first musician he'd sign.
Neither event occurred, however. Instead, with the support and championing of so many influential musicians, Redbone eventually signed with Warner Bros. On the Track, however, did not make much of an impact on the charts. Amidst the era of Led Zeppelin arena-rock and the infancies of punk and disco, not many people were likely to tune into a gruff voiced crooner slur his way through "Polly Wolly Doodle" and Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'.
After performing before an estimated million viewers, Redbone's album began to sell at the rate of 8, copies a week. By the end of that year, he sold almost , albums without any publicity from Warner Bros.
More concerts and albums followed, all consisting of old standards and period pieces. Although the albums sold enough to make the charts's Double Time went gold--and concerts were well attended, critics began to wonder if Redbone was little more than a novelty act. His faithful interpretations, however, of long forgotten music eased the sting of some critical barbs. Robert Palmer, reviewing a show for the New York Times accused Redbone of placing the mannerisms of his droll character over the content of the songs.
In Redbone was asked by Dan Forte of Guitar Player if the image of being a nostalgic novelty bothered him. If something isn't right it's annoying to me--I don't care what it is If someone's going to write about something and make a comment on it, it should be right.
Consequently, people tend to pick up and focus on that humor. In a interview with Pete Feenstra of England's Folk Roots magazine, Redbone claimed it was the media, not him, who perpetuated his mythic persona. Back in the 70s I was regarded as someone who wouldn't talk much about myself.
But the problem was the media always ended up asking me the obvious non-musical questions When it came down to the music itself they weren't particularly interested in music from the s. And so when I wouldn't talk much about things non-musical they put together their own image of me. Ultimately, Leon said, it's this style of music that should be in the foreground. A romantic, to me, is someone with a depressed, tormented soul. I would say almost everything I do is romantic. In the early 80s Madison Avenue tapped Redbone's style and the singer found himself crooning about ALL laundry detergent and Budweiser beer, to name a few.
As long as the jingle was something he could work with, Redbone said, he had no qualms with doing the commercials. As the nineties began, Redbone was touring and recording only slightly less than during his rise to prominence almost twenty years earlier. It was no less than Mikhail Baryshnikov who suggested to Feld that he considered Redbone's music for a dance score, although Feld had long been a fan.
How Leon sings these songs gives them a world, a universe. He's a tragic clown. I rely on a sense of colors and mood in my approach to the arrangement I was surprised to see all those things I think of when I put the music together actually represented. Whether described as a novelty act, cult hero, or, as Stokes dubbed him, "Johnny One-Trick," no description of Redbone includes the fact that he has been a singular force in bringing a style and period of music to many people who may not have heard it otherwise.
While critics may argue about the emphasis placed on his persona, his reverence for the music has never been questioned. With a desire to remain true to himself--whoever he is--and Blind Blake, Jelly Roll Morton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and the rest of his idols, Redbone is more an educator than performer, a professor of one of the richest periods in American music.
And although he told Rolling Stone's Weitzman, that regarding himself, "I don't want them to know anything that they don't know already," he'd like more people to know about this music. Began playing as part of the Toronto folk scene, c.
Double Time, Warner Bros. Champagne Charlie, Warner Bros. Red to Blue, August, No Regrets, Sugar Hill, Christmas Island, Private Music, Sugar, Private Music, Up a Lazy River, Private Music, Whistling in the Wind, Private Music, Books Nite, Norm N. Periodicals DownBeat, November 16, , p. Folk Roots, June , p. Guitar Player, April , p.
Los Angeles Times, June 18, , p. F1; April 7, , p. Melody Maker, February 7, , p. New York Times, April 1, ; May 27, , p. C26 Newsday New York , March 5, , p. Rolling Stone, May 9, , p.
Village Voice, September 18, , p. Cancel or. Louis, MO area next month. I can't wait. Does anyone know his song list for ? I saw Mr. Redbone play last night in Marlinton, WV.
I had no idea what I was getting into but must say one of the best musical experiences I have enjoyed in a long time. He's got me listening to Gene Austin this morning whom I did not know existed 24 hours ago. Thank you, sir, an absolute pleasure. As a dyed-in-the-wool redbone fan from the appearance of his first LP on, I had long wanted to attend one of his concerts. About 3 -4 years ago he gave a show just outside Chapel Hill, N.
My wife and I met my son who lives in Raleigh and made attended the show. What a farce. A trumpeter and pianist opened the show and stayed on for the fits minues, then took a break. No Leon. They came back out and tootled away for another minutes and then Redbone ambled out. He played one number, then for about 20 minutes stumbled around the satage making what were spposed to be funny comments but all of which fell flat, The antagonism in the audience could be felt it was so palpable.
We came to hear music and were getting a royal nothing of a show. Redbone finally ended up playing, unaccompanied by any other instuments, a couple of numbers, then walked off the stage without even so much as a kiss my foot and never come back on stage.
It was the sorriest performance, or rather, lack of performance, of any performer I have ever heard of, including George "No Show" Jones. What it was was a pure rip-off of the audience by Redbone or whatever his real name is. I get to see Leon every year at this quaint little venue in a small village in south central PA, The village is called Mt. Gretna and it has this fabulous little otudoor theater with really good acoustics. Makes Leon sound even better. I think he usually makes Mt.
Gretna the last stop on his tour. I understand he lives near here. I have a pretty good idea where, but Leon swore me to secrecy about it. Anyhow, if you keep an eye on his tour dates and you see him coming to Mt. Gretna, get a ticket and come on down. Leon loves to meet his fans after his shows here. Great chance to meet one of America's most unique and revered talents. I saw Leon Redbone last night in Kent, Ohio - front row, center seats.
It was like he was looking right at me as he sang those wonderful songs and did his usual schtick - an awesome experience. I wonder why he took a picture? His speaking voice is so familiar - must be from the commercials? Anyway, great show, packed house - Kent loves you Leon! He walked right past us at the airport - his outfit was almost identical to the crew of the airliner that we didn't notice him.
We drove him to Akron in Mike's Volkswagon squareback. I think Mr. Redbone was a bit suspicious. I tried desparately to engage him in conversation, but all I got was that he plays a s Martin and considered Paganini his biggest influence. After about half an hour in the car, he looked out the window and said, "Rubber capital of the world, eh? That evening we had back-stage passes.
Leon lost a cigar lit, of course and about ten of us visitors, crew, etc went looking for it. He found it behind a curtin and it had done no damage. A couple of years later, I had a conversation with Roy Book Binder and relayed the story of my meeting with Leon Redbone.
Roy Book Binder's comment was, "You know that's all an act. Yeah, it's just an act. But he lives it". Redbone released his final studio album, Flying By , in , and announced his retirement from music due to health concerns a year later.
Related: Rolling Stone Profile of Leon Redbone Leon Redbone, the singer who built a career out of performing ragtime, vaudeville and American standards with a sly wink and an unmistakable, nasally voice, died Thursday. Newswire Powered by. Close the menu. Rolling Stone. Log In. To help keep your account secure, please log-in again.
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