Leon Redbone (August 26, 1949) is a singer and guitarist specializing in interpretations of early 20th-century music, including jazz and blues standards and Tin Pan Alley classics.
Recognized for his trademark Panama hat, dark sunglasses, and bow tie, Redbone first appeared on stage in Toronto, Canada in the mid-1970s. Virtually nothing is known for certain about his background or true identity. Redbone has been called "the most famous non-famous American musician".
Redbone has released approximately fifteen albums and earned a sizable cult following who will travel significant distances to hear him perform. His concerts blend performance, comedy, and skilled instrumentals. Recurrent gags involve the influence of alcohol and claiming to have written works originating well before his time (as part of the mystery of his true age).
Leon Redbone is very influenced by minstrel singer Emmett Miller.
Redbone's origins are shrouded in mystery. His birth name is believed to be Dickran Gobalian. Redbone has cited his date of birth as October 29, 1929; this wildly inaccurate date was the day of the U.S. stock market crash that sparked the Great Depression. Redbone claimed to have been born in Bombay during a monsoon to parents Niccolò Paganini (a composer and violinist who died in 1840) and Jenny Lind (a singer who died in 1887). Other sources say that it was Cypriot and Armenian parents.
Leon Redbone at Massey Hall, Toronto, ON
While living in Canada in the early 1970s, Redbone began performing in public at Toronto area nightclubs and folk music festivals. At one point, it was rumored that he was actually comedian Andy Kaufman, who sometimes took on other identities, or singer/guitarist Frank Zappa, who somewhat resembled Redbone. However, Redbone has performed since the deaths of Kaufman and Zappa, and the rumors have subsided. David Letterman once proposed that he was Don Novello, the comedian famous for playing Father Guido Sarducci.
In 1974, Rolling Stone magazine ran a feature article on Redbone, a full year before he had a recording contract. The article described his performances as "so authentic you can hear the surface noise ." His first album, On the Track, was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1975. He was introduced to a larger public as a semi-regular musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live throughout the late 1970s and into the 1980s. In a late-'70s appearance on the The Merv Griffin Show, he was introduced as "Andy Kaufman ...maybe or maybe not," alluding to the eccentric comedian as being his possible true identity.
During the 1980s-90s Redbone was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It was apparent from the on-air exchanges between host and guest that Carson was a fan of Redbone's work.
Redbone survived the crash of a small plane in Clarksburg WV on Feb. 12, 1979 and now travels to engagements exclusively by car.
Redbone has appeared in a number of areas outside of his music recording/performance career. He has made appearances in the comic strips Mister Boffo and The Far Side. He performed the theme song for the popular 1980s sitcom Mr. Belvedere and appears regularly on the PBS children's show Between the Lions. He did a cover of Frank Loesser's romantic Christmas song Baby, It's Cold Outside with Zooey Deschanel for the closing credits of the 2003 film Elf. He also voiced the character of Leon the Snowman in the same film. On his 1987 album Christmas Island he performed a version of "Frosty the Snowman," with Dr. John.
He has also produced music for and appeared in television commercials, perhaps the most famous being an advertisement for Budweiser beer, where he flies over a beach on a flying carpet, singing This Bud's for You. He also featured in a famous TV advert for InterCity (British Rail) service in the late 1980s.
It is believed that Redbone is married to jazz producer Beryl Handler. The couple co-produced Redbone's 2001 album Anytime. They are rumored to live in the New Hope, Pennsylvania area with at least one daughter.
