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Archive 1

Cited sources

There needs to be sources for the "some say" and "it is rumored" material. Who is saying these things? Even if we can't verify the facts, we should be able to verify who is asserting these things. I'm tagging the article for sources. -- cmhTC 20:47, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

I agree. The "rumors", "some say", etc. is part of Leon Redbone's legend - a self-invented way of keeping himself mysterious. It's very cute and admittedly I am very fond of it, but it really isn't appropriate for an encyclopedia. Using that "legend of Redbone" style here to make him sound mysterious almost sounds like an advertisement. Afabbro 20:17, 28 June 2007 (UTC)
The key words in your comment are self-invented. Redbone is a great musician, but this "article" is a puff-piece. Proxy User (talk) 16:47, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Early life

How can this section be taken seriously? And if not, than it should be made clear that it is fiction. This section does not describe Redbone's "early life". Is this the comedy pages? Because as a biography, this article is pretty much a joke. Proxy User (talk) 16:43, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

I agree that the article contains fictitious information, but it's written in such a way to help the reader understand why there are so few "known facts" about Leon Redbone. As the Early Life section describes, "Redbone's origins are shrouded in mystery. His birth name is believed to be Dickran Gobalian[1]. Redbone has cited... Redbone has claimed... But other sources say..." This paints a clear picture of the history of Redbone's unclear origins. Self-inflicted. ~ Agvulpine (talk) 19:53, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

PBS Career beyond ".. The Lions"?

Mentioned in the article is Leon's appearances on the PBS show "Between The Lions", but I'm certain he was involved in much greater and more popular works aired on PBS.

Listening to his music, his voice sounds exactly like the singer from the 80~90's PBS "School House Rock" sketches, such as Conjunction Junction, and possibly voiced/sung other children's (public service announcements) such as don't play with electricity which starred a cartoon lightbulb-fly and singing electrical plugs.

I don't have anything to reference except personal memories. I do know that his voice is ingrained in my youth, and he fits the part. Perhaps I can find some of these relics on YouTube. ~ Agvulpine (talk) 19:43, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

According to the Schoolhouse Rock (which was ABC, not PBS) article, someone else did the School House Rock series. Bob Dorough and Jack Sheldon are both mentioned as connected to that project as voices. Who knows, perhaps one of those is the actual Leon Redbone? (I doubt it, though).
By the way, Schoolhouse Rock was ABC, not PBS. However, I don't doubt that he probably did some stuff for Sesame Street, though. A lot of recognizable musicians have done music for Sesame Street. 69.95.235.248 (talk) 13:23, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Frank Zappa in diguise?

If you ever seen "Elf" he vocies a snow man who mentions dogs and "yellow snow", could of just be a reference to that rumor?--Hailey 03:53, 21 July 2006 (UTC) Why did I see a special on CBS one fine Sunday morning that showed Leon Redbone as living in New Orleans and jamming on apiano with his 90 sumthinyearold aunt? Was I dreaming. Where do you find out the truth?

The text states that rumors that Redbone was a persona created by Zappa or Kaufman have been disproved since their deaths. This doesn't exclude the possibility that Zappa and Kaufman were his creations.

So Tony Clifton still performs. Why can't Redbone be a living Kaufman character, too? I don't see how his death ends it in this case. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.172.141.42 (talk) 11:23, 16 December 2009 (UTC)

Music Career

Considering the reason for Redbone's notability is that he's a musician, it would be kinda nice if there were details about his music career. I came here to find out about what songs he might be known for, that kind of thing, but the article's so preoccupied with his eccentricities that I haven't learned anything. Surely he's a musician first and an eccentric second, and the article should reflect that. Minaker (talk) 05:13, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

You have met the Cult of Redbone. Proxy User (talk) 16:45, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
Even so, he had genuine hit singles if I remember correctly and certainly had plenty of radio play back in the day. There is nothing about a singles discography or what his hits were – just a list of his albums and damned little about them. I saw him live in concert after all, and it wasn't in a big city either, so he toured as well. One of the more disappointing Wikipedia articles that I have seen actually. Shocking Blue (talk) 06:49, 16 February 2013 (UTC)
I look forward to reading your edits to improve it/ - DavidWBrooks (talk) 12:51, 16 February 2013 (UTC)
One of my favorite sayings is "You don't get to complain about Wikipedia". If you don't like it, you have the opportunity to fix it. I've been through a lot of newspaper and magazine articles looking for information, and there really just isn't much out there. I'm proud of my reference for his earliest appearance, placing his origin in Philadelphia. When the subject of an article is actively working to obscure his history, it's ten times harder. K8 fan (talk) 19:36, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

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Throat Tromnet

Redbon's first album "On The Track" credits him with several instruments including "throat tromnet". This is referenced in the Barnes and Noble review:

"This includes his self-proclaimed "throat tromnet" -- an orally generated device that sounds like a combination trombone and trumpet. - "Barnes and Noble review of On The Track".

It would seem that if an artist says that a particular technique qualifies as a "instrument" and critics agree, that should be enough for WP. It is as distinct from ordinary singing as Tuvan throat singing or the vocal work of artists like Meredith Monk, Urszula Dudziak and Diamanda Galás or possibly the "swazzle" used by Punch and Judy Puppeteers. K8 fan (talk) 19:58, 7 November 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia is a pain in the neck a lot of the time, but the above comment is exactly why I keep coming back: How else would I ever learn about a swazzle?! - DavidWBrooks (talk) 20:02, 7 November 2010 (UTC)
Thank you. I only know of them because my father was a Punch and Judy puppeteer and he did not use the swazzle, instead producing the noise vocally.K8 fan (talk) 20:07, 7 November 2010 (UTC)
The hell you say! I know we're supposed to be discussing the article here, but I couldn't let that go without saying that's awesome, that your dad was an actual Punch and Judy puppeteer. I imagine the non-swazzle performers hold themselves a notch above the swazzle set. Laodah 00:40, 22 July 2016 (UTC)
Mr. Gobalian liner notes are not reliable sources. They may be funny, but they certainly don't have a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Indeed, the opposite is true. Dlabtot (talk) 21:08, 7 November 2010 (UTC)
Not liner notes, but the actual back of the LP. http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee148/annie3857/annie33/PA300138.jpg Please don't remove referenced material. K8 fan (talk) 21:56, 7 November 2010 (UTC)
"Throat tromnet" is a vocal technique, not an instrument.
With all due respect, despite their extremely broad range of exotic techniques, Monk, Dudziak, and Galas (and you could add to that list Alice Coltrane, Yoko Ono, and Michele Sharrock) are regarded as vocalists, not instrumentalists.
74.95.43.249 (talk) 00:38, 10 September 2015 (UTC)

Template:Navbox musical artist

Hello I have created a template to stick at the bottom of Leon's article. They help me navigate faster and help understand a musician's content in chronological order.

How do I get it added to the article? SPNKs (talk) 05:03, 25 July 2016 (UTC)

Place {{Leon Redbone}} after the two external links, but before {{Authority control}}. NatureBoyMD (talk) 13:04, 25 July 2016 (UTC)
Thanks! Looking neat. SPNKs (talk) 14:42, 25 July 2016 (UTC)
You're welcome. It should also be added to all the album pages for navigation between them and his article. NatureBoyMD (talk) 14:47, 25 July 2016 (UTC)

Untitled

As far as I can tell, the whole "Dickran Gobalian" thing is still far from substantiated. A quick Google shows that some pages claim it as fact, but others are not so sure. Alfvaen 06:24, Dec 30, 2004 (UTC)

Ummm...pretty sure Dickran Gobalian is a joke. Kind of like Mike Hunt or Ben Dover, etcMarshMarigold (talk) 03:55, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Toronto was full of American draft-dodgers in the late 1960's and early 1970's. He is an American draft-dodger and changed his name for obvious reasons. After the amnesty for draft-dodgers, some simply remained in Canada. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 180.183.47.5 (talk) 15:55, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

I think this draft evasion theory is daft... Evaders who crossed the US border risked landing in a military prison if caught, and Hoover's FBI was actively watching for them. Redbone's first two appearances on SNL were a full year before the general amnesty, and ending up in prison doing hard labor seems a bit much to risk for a gig that for all he knew would go nowhere and not help his career at all. Meanwhile, musicians who knew him in Toronto several years before he appeared on SNL talk about how very secretive he was there, not wanting his friends to know what part of town he lived in, which wouldn't matter to a draft evader, as the FBI wasn't going to come across the border to get him. 173.196.192.130 (talk) 07:06, 28 August 2016 (UTC)
I kinda disagree. The theory is plausible; if nobody in the world knew Leon Redbone was some US draft evader, his risk was quite low, especially if he'd managed to get some official documents with his stage name. As far as the penalty is concerned, how could draft evaders land in a military prison? They were not in the military. Deserters are another issue. On the other hand, he'd have no reason after 1977 to continue concealing his name, if he was just an evader. --jpgordon𝄢𝄆 𝄐𝄇 17:36, 3 June 2017 (UTC)

State and Nationality Categories

Nothing in the article indicates that Redbone ever became an American citizen, so all of the categories he is in that refer to him as "American" are not supported. He was born in Cyprus and moved to Canada before moving to the US, but that does not mean he was American. Also, sources can be found to confirm that he was a longtime resident of Pennsylvania, but the "from Pennsylvania" category would seem to imply that he was either born or grew up there, which he did not. It is not clear that any of these categories apply to him. 47.54.58.174 (talk) 18:22, 30 May 2019 (UTC)

Tend to agree. Martinevans123 (talk) 10:12, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
I could find no mention of American citizenship in any on-line sources, so I have amended the Categoroies accordingly. Further tweaks may be in order. I'm not sure how strict the definition of the Categories must be. I think most people will have assumed he was American. I have no idea what passport he carried. Martinevans123 (talk) 10:30, 31 May 2019 (UTC)

Other media

Redbone also played live on an episode of The Jack Dee Show on Channel 4 in the UK:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPGxc2kL7Mo [dead link‍] — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.153.29.91 (talk) 09:00, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Too bad this one is no longer available. But that episode is available in full, via channel4.com (if you register and unblock ads). But it was 27 years ago. Leon eventually appears at 9:37 and plays a wonderful rendition, accompanied on clarinet and double bass, of "Lazy River", and at 21:00 with "Champagne Charlie" (with tuba and banjo). Both just wonderful. Martinevans123 (talk) 19:46, 1 June 2019 (UTC)
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