https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/may/30/eccentric-singer-musician-leon-redbone-dies-at-age-69/ Chances are that most of you have never heard of this great musician/entertainer, but for those of us who have, we know we lost a gem! I'd never heard of him until the mid-'80s, but once I did I became an instant fan! He was very charismatic and stood out wherever he was and that's why he performed several times in the Johnny Carson Show. His music genre isn't/wasn't for everyone, but the longer you listened the more he would cast you under his spell! He was by no means a recluse, but he definitely was a mystery in regard to his personal life. Some of my favorites are Seduced, Mr. Jelly Roll Baker and Diddy wa Diddie... RIP Mr. Redbone! ....... ....... .......
We lost him? Really? I saw him at the Cullen Auditorium at UH in December of 1978, opening for Tom Waits. The guy was a trip. I also remember seeing him on Carson, who relished quirky musical guests, which Leon fit to a T. That must have been a big deal for Leon. A lot of people today probably don't know just how huge Johnny Carson was back in the day. Getting to play on The Tonight Show was really something. Thanks for the post, BamBam. I likely would have missed hearing about his passing, otherwise. For some reason, I'm thinking that Mr. Redbone might have opened for The Mothers of Invention at one gig or another in Houston. Seems like Leon would have been a perfect opening act for the Mothers, but it's probably my altered state of consciousness at the time. I know Tom Waits opened for them more than once. I never missed Zappa, seeing Frank and the Mothers at the Catacombs at the music festival on August 31, 1968. If Leon never played with Frank, he should have! Spoiler
He would make ALL the Christmas songs sound better IMHO! "Christmas Island" album is a must-have for the BamBam Christmas Holidays!! ....... ....... .......
Oh No. Damn. I think it was the Muppet Show waaaay back when I was a youngster that turned me on to him, oddly enough, and then he did random spots on SNL, iirc. Christmas Island is the greatest Christmas album ever, prove me wrong.
Think about your people, your loved ones, as much as you can. You never know when things will go south....
