L-R Peter Ecklund, Vince Giordano, Leon
Redbone and Jonathan Dorn |
Leon Redbone was a revivalist of
early 20th century songs of sentiment, beautiful
melodies which were derived from blues, early country,
ragtime and hot jazz. In a comedic, unpredictable yet
confident presentation of his music, he and his fellow
musicians, the very best sidemen, would transport their
audience night after night to a different world, that of
a vaudeville time machine. Leon would set the mood
sometimes entering the stage once the lights dimmed to
"The Third Man Theme" by Anton Karas or "Melancholy" by
Johnny Dodds. Known for his array of hats, dark glasses,
string ties, walking sticks, old suits and guitars tuned
down a whole step (a C chord becomes Bb, the people's
key) which best suited his gravely baritone voice, it
became a no holds barred night of musical mayhem and
fun. He was a master at minimalist facial gestures that
captivated audiences at his every raise of the eyebrow.
He made his audience feel as if they were a part of the
show by inviting them to perform "sing a long numbers"
and snapping their pictures with his cameras.
Leon entered life's stage as Dickran Gobalian August 26,
1949 in Cyprus. Musically speaking, it was later in
Toronto Canada where he would become a fixture on the
late 1960's coffee house scene. This is where he became
"Sonny" then transforming into the character we know as
Leon Redbone. It was in Toronto where Leon would meet a
fellow musician named Mose Scarlett who would play a
significant role in Leon's development as a guitar
player and choice of material to perform and eventually
record. The two became obsessed with those that recorded
on labels such as Okeh, Paramount, Columbia and Victor
at 78 rpms. The voices of days gone by with names such
as Emmett Miller, Jimmie Rodgers, Wilton Crawley, Lee
Morse, Blind Blake, Jelly Roll Morton and it was in fact
Mose who introduced Leon to a few of these artists
creating a lifelong obsession.
By 1972, Leon was generating interest within the
entertainment elite that included Bob Dylan, Gordon
Lightfoot and Steve Goodman among others. It was during
this pivotal year Redbone would play The Mariposa Folk
Festival slowly gaining national attention. Dylan sought
him out on the island as Redbone presented himself
dressed in an old straw hat, ratty cigar (with extras
held between the curls of his guitar strings) a bohemian
Harmony Sovereign guitar with painted headstock, V
shaped duct tape, magic marker embellishments that
mirrored Leadbelly's famous 12 string guitar and a
bottle of Ballantine's whiskey in his back pocket. The
delivery of his chosen material and created look was
such a mystery to many at the time that curiously would
peak soon enough. This same year he would play The
Buffalo Folk Festival as well as record a number of
songs at The University of Buffalo by David Benders
which eventually would be released as a double album by
Third Man Records. He would use the same old Harmony
guitar on the record. A beautiful early video
exists from The Buffalo Folk Festival as well. It was at
The University of Buffalo where Leon would meet his
future wife and co producer, road manager Beryl Handler.
Beryl would book Leon at UB acting as the school's
booking agent. In 1975 Leon signed his first record
contract with Warner Brothers and released "On The
Track". He would perform twice on Saturday Night Live in
1976. His first appearance was with Tuba great Jonathan
Dorn and the National spot light paved the way for the
two to work together for 12 years. Leon would enjoy a
fruitful career of television, stage, film and radio
until 2015. He appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny
Carson frequently during the 80's and 90's. One
memorable appearance was with clarinetist Bobby Gordon.
The two would eventually survive a plane crash in
Clarksburg, West Virginia on February 12, 1979. Leon's
voice became so iconic that he was called to do a
Budweiser commercial but not just limited to beer. He
also appeared as a caricature of himself in a Ken L
Ration dog food commercial. He would land roles in films
most famously as "Leon" in the beloved film "Elf". He
narrated a wonderful PBS documentary about a territory
jazz band called "Remembering The Scranton Sirens" in
2011. Leon released 12 studio LPs during his career and
a handful of live performances. Each one expertly
produced, arranged and performed by he and his studio
musicians. Leon passed on May 30, 2019, the very same
day his old friend Mose Scarlett passed.
Bio by Billy Bratcher |
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Mose Scarlett |
Leon did this drawing of Mose
Scarlett in 1980 |
Mose Scarlett |
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