A throwback artist, he favored songs from the Tin Pan Alley era in the vein of “Shine On Harvest Moon” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”
Musician Leon Redbone, whose foghorn voice and reverence for old-time songs made him a distinctive presence in popular entertainment, died Thursday, his family members said.
A notice of his death at www.leonredbone.com included a falsehood about his age in keeping with the artist’s jocular style, claiming that “Leon Redbone crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127. He departed our world with his guitar, his trusty companion Rover, and a simple tip of his hat.”
Reports say that, in truth, he was 69.
Employing a dry demeanor and deadpan delivery, Redbone presented himself as a musical throwback, both in his dress — usually a white suit with a string tie, dark glasses and a panama hat — and his set lists. He favored songs from the Tin Pan Alley era in the vein of “Shine On Harvest Moon” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”
“It’s not a trendy thing; it’s not a nostalgia thing; it’s what I like to refer to as commonsense music,” he told Newhouse News Service in 1991. “It is from a historical perspective, if you’re so inclined.”
He cited Bing Crosby, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams Sr., Jelly Roll Morton and ‘20s guitarist Blind Blake as influences. Bob Dylan was among his fans.
He was best known as a recording and touring artist but also made eclectic appearances in pop culture: performing on the first season of “Saturday Night Live” (twice), singing the theme song of the long-running ABC sitcom “Mr. Belvedere,” and narrating the hit 2003 movie “Elf” as an animated snowman bearing his likeness. For “Elf” he also dueted with co-star Zooey Deschanel on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Redbone retired from performing in 2005.
