Warren Zevon
American rock musician (1947–2003) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician known for including his strange and somewhat critical opinions of life in his lyrics. Zevon wrote many songs that were humorous and often political
Warren Zevon | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Warren William Zevon |
Also known as | Sandy Zevon Stephen Lyme |
Born | (1947-01-24)January 24, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Died | September 7, 2003(2003-09-07) (aged 56) Los Angeles, California, United States |
Genres | Rock, folk, Americana |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica |
Years active | 1965–2003 |
Labels | White Whale Records (1965–1967) Imperial Records (1969–1971) Asylum Records (1976–1982) Virgin Records (1987–1989) Giant Records/Reprise/Warner Bros. Records (1991–1995) Artemis Records/Koch Entertainment (2000–2003) |
Website | warrenzevon.com |
Many famous musicians have said they liked Zevon's work, including Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young.[1] His most famous songs include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Johnny Strikes Up The Band." All of these are from his third and most famous album: Excitable Boy (1978). Zevon has written many songs that were recorded by other artists. These include "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (a top 40 hit by Linda Ronstadt), "Accidentally Like a Martyr," "Mohammed's Radio," "Carmelita", and "Hasten Down the Wind".
Zevon sometimes recorded or sang cover songs. He liked to sing Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan". He was often a guest on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman later sang with Zevon on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" with Paul Shaffer and members of the CBS Orchestra.
He had a lot of problems in his life, including divorce, alcoholism, and suicide attempts. He also had a paranoia of doctors and this killed him: he did not know he had cancer until doctors could not help him.