Warren Zevon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Warren Zevon
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Warren Zevon in 1978
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Warren William Zevon |
| Also known as | Sandy Zevon Stephen Lyme |
| Born | January 24, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | September 7, 2003 (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) |
| Associated acts | Billy Bob Thornton Jackson Browne David Lindley Waddy Wachtel Bruce Springsteen Dwight Yoakam Hindu Love Gods Linda Ronstadt The Everly Brothers Don Everly Phil Everly Richie Hayward Jack Casady Chick Corea Jerry Garcia David Gilmour Neil Young Don Henley Timothy B. Schmit Bob Dylan Joe Walsh Emmylou Harris Tom Petty The Eagles Manfred Mann The Turtles lyme and cybelle Rock Bottom Remainders |
Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. He was known for his unique and often funny lyrics about life. Zevon wrote many songs that were humorous and sometimes political.
Many famous musicians admired Zevon's work. These included Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. His most famous songs are "Werewolves of London," "Lawyers, Guns and Money," "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," and "Johnny Strikes Up The Band." These songs are all from his third and most famous album, Excitable Boy (1978). Zevon also wrote many songs that other artists recorded. Some of 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 sang cover songs (songs originally by other artists). He enjoyed singing 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. David Letterman later sang with Zevon on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)."
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Warren Zevon was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was Jewish and his mother was a Mormon from Salt Lake City, Utah. His family soon moved to Fresno, California. By the time he was 13, Zevon sometimes visited Igor Stravinsky, a famous modern classical music composer.
When Zevon was 16, his parents divorced. He then left high school and moved from Los Angeles to New York. He wanted to become a folk singer.
For a while, he sang with his high school friend Violet Santangelo. They were a musical duo called "lyme & cybelle." He also worked as a session musician, playing instruments for other artists. He wrote songs for the band the Turtles. One of his early songs, "He Quit Me," was in the movie Midnight Cowboy (1969).
Zevon's first solo album, Wanted Dead or Alive (1969), did not sell well. In the early 1970s, Zevon toured with the Everly Brothers. He played keyboard and was their band leader. He also toured with Don Everly and Phil Everly when they started their solo careers.
Feeling unhappy with his career, Zevon moved to Spain in 1975. He lived and played in a small tavern near Barcelona. There, he wrote his famous song "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
Return to Los Angeles and First Major Album
In September 1975, Zevon moved back to Los Angeles. He lived with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, who were not famous yet. In Los Angeles, he worked with Jackson Browne. Browne helped produce Zevon's first major album, Warren Zevon, released in 1976.
Many famous musicians helped with this album. These included Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, members of the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and Bonnie Raitt. Linda Ronstadt recorded many of Zevon's songs. These included "Hasten Down the Wind," "Carmelita," "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," and "Mohammed's Radio."
In 1977, Zevon went on his first tour. He often appeared as a guest during Jackson Browne's concerts. Zevon's songs were often darker and more ironic than other songwriters of his time. However, he shared their love for folk and country music. The album Warren Zevon (1976) was later called a masterpiece by Rolling Stone Record Guide.
Musical Success and Popular Songs
In 1978, Zevon released Excitable Boy, his most popular album. Radio stations played songs from this album often, especially "Werewolves of London." "Werewolves of London" and "Excitable Boy" used dark humor. The album also featured "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money." These songs were about geopolitics (world politics) and had a serious, funny style.
Rolling Stone magazine called Excitable Boy one of the most important albums of the 1970s. They said Zevon, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, and Bruce Springsteen were among the best new artists of that decade.
After Excitable Boy, Warren Zevon released Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School in 1980. This album had another song that reached the Billboard Hot 100: "A Certain Girl." This song was a rhythm and blues song written by Allen Toussaint.
Zevon dedicated this album to Ken Millar, a mystery novel writer who used the name "Ross Macdonald." Zevon loved Millar's stories.
Illness, Final Album, and Legacy
Warren Zevon did not like going to the doctor. He had not seen one as an adult. In 2002, before a music festival, he started feeling dizzy and had a cough. His dentist told him to see a doctor. When he finally did, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer.
Zevon decided not to get cancer treatment if it would stop him from making music. Instead, he started working on his final album, The Wind. Many of his friends helped him with the album. These friends included Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, and Dwight Yoakam.
On October 30, 2002, Zevon was the only guest on the Late Show with David Letterman for the entire hour. He performed several songs and talked about his illness. Zevon had been a frequent guest on Letterman's shows since 1982. He joked, "I might have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years." During this show, when Letterman asked if he knew more about life and death, Zevon famously said, "Enjoy every sandwich." He also thanked Letterman, calling him "the best friend my music's ever had." For his last song, Zevon performed "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner." After the show, Zevon gave Letterman the guitar he always used on the show.
Zevon' was told his illness would be fatal within months. However, he lived to see his twin grandsons born in June 2003. He also saw The Wind released on August 26, 2003. The album reached number 16 on the US charts, which was Zevon's highest since Excitable Boy. When his diagnosis became public, Zevon said he hoped to live long enough to see the next James Bond movie. He did, and the movie was called Die Another Day.
Warren Zevon died on September 7, 2003, at age 56, at his home in Los Angeles, California. The Wind was certified gold (meaning it sold over 500,000 copies). Zevon received five Grammy nominations after his death. The Wind won two Grammys: Best Contemporary Folk Album, and "Disorder in the House" (his song with Bruce Springsteen) won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. These were Zevon's first Grammys in his over 30-year career.
He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles.
Music and Books After His Death
A tribute album called Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon was released on October 19, 2004. Zevon's son, Jordan Zevon, worked a lot on the album. He also sang "Studebaker," a song Warren Zevon had written but not released. Another tribute album, Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon, came out in 2005.
In 2006, VH1 Classic showed a music video for a new collection called Reconsider Me: The Love Songs. The video was for the song "She's Too Good For Me."
On March 27, 2007, Rhino Records re-released Zevon's albums Stand in the Fire, The Envoy, and Excitable Boy. These new versions included extra songs that had not been released before.
On May 1, 2007, a new album called Preludes - Rare and Unreleased Recordings was released. It had two discs of Zevon's early recordings and different song versions. These were found in an old road case after his death. The album included five songs that had never been heard before.
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon, a book about Zevon's life, was published in 2007. It was written by his ex-wife, Crystal Zevon. The book includes interviews with many of Zevon's friends and people he worked with.
Warren Zevon in Pop Culture
- The 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park has characters named Nick Van Owen and Roland Tembo. This was a tribute to Zevon's song "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
- Music by Warren Zevon is used in several episodes of the TV show Californication.
- In the 2009 movie Funny People, a comedian who is dying reacts when he hears Zevon's song Keep Me In Your Heart.
- American director Kevin Smith is writing a hockey film called Hit Somebody! based on Zevon's song of the same name.
- American author Stephen King mentions the quote "Play that dead band's song" in his novel "Under The Dome."
- In an episode of Boston Legal with guest star Michael J. Fox, Keep Me In Your Heart played at the end of the episode.
Discography
Studio albums
- Wanted Dead or Alive (Warren Zevon album)|Wanted Dead or Alive – 1969
- Warren Zevon (album)|Warren Zevon – 1976
- Excitable Boy – 1978 (United States: Platinum)
- Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
- The Envoy – 1982
- Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
- Transverse City – 1989
- Hindu Love Gods – 1990 – As a member of "Hindu Love Gods".
- Mr. Bad Example – 1991
- Mutineer – 1995
- Life'll Kill Ya – 2000
- My Ride's Here – 2002
- The Wind – 2003
Live albums
- Stand in the Fire – 1980
- Learning to Flinch – 1993
Compilations
- A Quiet Normal Life: The Best of Warren Zevon – 1986 (US: Gold)
- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology) – 1996
- Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon – 2002
- The First Sessions – 2003
- Reconsider Me: The Love Songs – 2006
- Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings – 2007
Images for kids
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Zevon touring solo in Heidelberg as the opener for Jackson Browne in 1976
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Country rock musician Linda Ronstadt helped popularize Zevon's songs in the 1970s
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Comedian and TV host David Letterman was credited by Zevon as "being the best friend my music ever had"
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Friend Jackson Browne reunited with Zevon for his final album
See also
In Spanish: Warren Zevon para niños
