Leon Redbone

Biography

Leon Redbone was born Dickran Gobalian on August 26, 1949, in Nicosia, Cyprus, to an Armenian family with a complex diaspora history.[3][5] His parents had fled Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter in 1948 after the newly established Israeli government seized their property, relocating to Cyprus where Dickran was born.[5] He emerged as a performer in Toronto, Canada during the early 1970s, initially as a reluctant participant in the folk scene before establishing himself as a distinctive interpreter of American popular music.[1] His career gained significant momentum in the early 1970s when Bob Dylan discovered him at the Mariposa Folk Festival and expressed in a Rolling Stone interview that Redbone would be the first artist he'd sign if he ever started a record label.[2]

Redbone's musical identity centered on reinterpreting pre-World War II American music spanning jazz, blues, ragtime, and Tin Pan Alley classics.[3][4] Over his 30+ year career, he recorded 15+ studio albums and numerous live and compilation records, becoming recognized for his distinctive gravelly baritone voice, Panama hat, dark sunglasses, and black tie.[3][4] He achieved mainstream exposure through frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live beginning in 1976, multiple guest spots on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson during the 1980s-90s, and memorable television work including commercials for Budweiser and Chevrolet, as well as theme songs for shows like Mr. Belvedere and Harry and the Hendersons.[1][2] His work was characterized by authentic arrangements that retained a vintage feel while incorporating modern sensibilities, establishing him as a curator of 20th-century popular music history.

Redbone maintained an intensely private personal life throughout his career, famously refusing to divulge biographical information and giving interviewers deliberately fanciful stories about his origins.[1][4] He died on May 30, 2019, at age 69, with his death announcement humorously claiming he had 'crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127.'[5] His true identity and background only became widely known after his death through obituaries and detailed articles in publications like The Oxford American and The New York Times.[5]

Fun Facts

• Redbone was so protective of his privacy that when legendary producer John Hammond attempted to contact him, the phone number Redbone provided was not his own but that of a Dial-A-Joke service.[4]
• Throughout his entire career, Redbone never broke character regarding his identity, consistently telling interviewers fanciful stories about his origins—claiming at various times to be born in Shreveport, New Orleans, Montreal, and Paris, and once stating he was the son of violinist Niccolò Paganini and opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, despite these figures having died decades before his birth.[1][5]
• Redbone survived a small plane crash in Clarksburg, West Virginia on February 12, 1979.[3]
• His true identity as Dickran Gobalian and his actual birthplace in Cyprus remained unknown to the public until after his death in 2019, when his obituaries and detailed biographical articles finally revealed his real background.[5]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Bob Dylan - Discovered Redbone at the Mariposa Folk Festival in the early 1970s and expressed strong support for his work in Rolling Stone (General career mentorship and endorsement) [Early 1970s onwards]

Key Collaborators

• Joe Venuti - Legendary jazz violinist who appeared on Redbone's recording debut (On the Track (1976)) [1976]
• Don McLean - Singer/songwriter who appeared on Redbone's debut album (On the Track (1976)) [1976]
• David Wilcox - Toronto-based guitarist who performed as a duo with Redbone in the early Toronto folk scene (Early live performances) [Early 1970s]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Baby, It's Cold Outside
2. Lazybones (On The Track)
3. Ain't Misbehavin' - I'm Savin' My Love for You (On The Track)
4. Shine on Harvest Moon (Double Time)
5. Seduced (Branch To Branch)
6. Walking My Troubles Away
7. My Walking Stick (On The Track)
8. Mississippi Delta Blues (Double Time)
9. Polly Wolly Doodle (On The Track)
10. Diddy Wa Diddie (Double Time)

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #dixieland, #folk, #new-orleans-r&b