Leon Redbone

Leon Redbone (born Dickran Gobalian; August 26, 1949 – May 30, 2019) was a Cypriot-American singer, actor and guitarist. He played mostly jazz and blues.

Leon Redbone
Leon Redbone in 2010 at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City, MO
Background information
Birth name	Dickran Gobalian
Also known as	Leon Redbone
Born	(1949-08-26)August 26, 1949 Nicosia, Cyprus
Died	May 30, 2019(2019-05-30) (aged 69) New Hope, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Vaudevillian, ragtime, jazz, blues
Occupation(s)	musician, songwriter, arranger, producer
Instruments	Guitar, Harmonica, Banjo, Piano, Throat Tromnet[1]
Years active	1975—2015
Labels	Warner Bros. Records, Emerald City, Rounder, August, Blue Thumb Records
Website	www.leonredbone.com

Redbone sang the theme to the television series Mr. Belvedere.^[2] He was a semi-regular musical guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live throughout the late 1970s. He last appeared on the show in 1983.^[3] 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 (radio broadcast).^[4]

Redbone voiced a fake snowman version of himself in the 2003 comedy Christmas movie Elf.

He retired in May 2015 due to health issues.^[5] Redbone died under hospice care in New Hope, Pennsylvania on May 30, 2019 at the age of 69.^[6] The cause was problems from dementia.^[7]

Studio albums

• On the Track (1975)
• Double Time (1977)
• Champagne Charlie (1978)
• From Branch to Branch (1981)
• Red to Blue (1985)
• Christmas Island (1987)
• No Regrets (1988)
• Sugar (1990)
• Up a Lazy River (1992)
• Whistling in the Wind (1994)
• Any Time (2001)