Leon Redbone ‎– Double Time-1977- Jazz, Blues, Pop (vinyl)

Leon Redbone ‎– Double Time-1977- Jazz, Blues, Pop (vinyl)

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While living in Canada in the early 1970s, Redbone began performing in public at Toronto area nightclubs and folk music festivals. He met Bob Dylan at the Mariposa Folk Festival. Dylan was so impressed by Redbone's performance that he mentioned it in a Rolling Stone interview,^[7] leading that magazine to do a feature article on Redbone a year before he had a recording contract.^[8] The article described his performances as "so authentic you can hear the surface noise [of an old 78 rpm]." His first album, On the Track, was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1975.

He was introduced to a larger public as a semi-regular musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live first season, 1976, episode 15 with Jill Clayburgh-host and last appeared on the show in 1983.^[9] During the 1980s and '90s Redbone was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He has also been a guest on A Prairie Home Companion.^[10]

Due to his reluctance to discuss his past, there has been speculation that "Leon Redbone" was an alternative identity for another performer.^[11] The two most commonly mentioned are Andy Kaufman and Frank Zappa,^[12] both of whom Redbone has outlived.

Redbone usually dresses in attire reminiscent of the Vaudeville era, performing in a Panama hat with a black band and dark sunglasses, often while sitting at attention on a stool, with a white coat and trousers with a black string tie.

Redbone survived the crash of a small plane in Clarksburg, West Virginia, on February 12, 1979.^[1] He travels to engagements exclusively by car, saying, "I carry around many unusual items and devices. They make life difficult for airport security personnel and flying impossible for me."^[1]

His publicist announced his retirement from both recording and performing on May 19, 2015 issuing the statement: "We share the sadness and disappointment sure to be experienced by his many fans and friends and hope they understand that his health has been a matter of concern for some time. It has become too challenging for him to continue the full range of professional activities