Redbone's love of old standards no mystery

Published April 2006
(A version of this article was originally published in the San Diego Evening Tribune on April 4, 1989.)

By Jim Trageser

Leon Redbone is one odd creature. Possessed of a singular voice that is instantly identifiable, he has crafted a successful career over the last quarter century by mining musical material a half-century older.

On the Track Warner Bros.; Burbank, Calif.: 1975 To hear sound clips or learn more about this release, Turbula recommends viewing its Amazon.com entry. Up a Lazy River Private Music / Windham Hill; Los Angeles, Calif.: 1992 To hear sound clips or learn more about this release, Turbula recommends viewing its Amazon.com entry. Christmas Island August / Private Music; Los Angeles, Calif.: 1987 To hear sound clips or learn more about this release, Turbula recommends viewing its Amazon.com entry.

The mysterious singer with the thick moustache and gravelly bass voice first came to national prominence in the mid-1970s with his debut album, "On the Track," featuring covers of such old-timey standards as "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Lazybones" and "Lulu's Back in Town." In the years since, he has recorded everything from blues and folks staples to Tin Pan Alley and even Christmas material.

Yet despite a steady if small fan base and a series of television advertisements for various products in the 1980s and '90s, Redbone remains unknown to much of the American public.

"Most of what I do was popular at one time," Redbone said by telephone. "Unfortunately, most music people do relate to is a result of a marketing ploy."

He objects to the efforts many music critics make to find a musician niche to place him in.

"The critics are all taken in by the way the music industry is run and they have to conform to those rules," Redbone said. "They all look for a category to stick me in rather than just listening to what they're hearing."

If Redbone's non-mainstream choice of material has kept him out of the public eye, so has his reluctance to discuss himself. His date of birth, place of birth and, indeed, whether "Leon Redbone" is his real name are all unknown. And when asked to talk about what music influenced him as a youth, Redbone deflected what seemed an innocuous question:

"I was never a child growing up," he said.

When pressed on the issue, Redbone revealed a list that, if facetious (it was hard to tell) at least is as eclectic as a playlist at one of his shows.

"I liked marches, operatic tenor arias, chamber music and flamenco," he said. "I always liked to listen to flamenco."

Redbone also said his favorite composer is Paganini, "but his work doesn't lend itself to my style."

At the time of this interview, Redbone had just released "Christmas Island," which had followed an album of old country-western songs. Redbone said he had no specific theme for his subsequent recording.

"I'll try to pool all my resources of good taste. There's no shortage of good songs."