Leon Redbone, acclaimed 1970s musician, dies
Posted May 30, 2019 12:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW YORK — Leon Redbone, the acclaimed singer and guitarist who performed jazz, ragtime and Tin Pan Alley-style songs, died Thursday, according to a statement released by his family.
No details about his death were provided.
Redbone’s career got a boost in the early 1970s when Bob Dylan met him at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Ontario, Canada, and praised his performance. Dylan said that if he ever started a label, he would have signed Redbone.
He released his debut album, “On the Track,” in 1975, and dropped 16 albums throughout his career.
Redbone voiced Leon the Snowman in the 2003 Christmas comedy “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell, and sang “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” a duet with Zooey Deschanel, for the film. He also sang the theme for the TV series “Mr. Belvedere.”
Redbone retired from performing in 2015 because of health reasons.
The Associated Press
