The enigmatic Leon Redbone emerged from the folk scene in Toronto, and got a bump toward success after Bob Dylan “discovered” him in 1972. During his improbable career, Redbone released 16 full-length albums beginning with On The Track (Warner Bros.) in 1975,  a compilation of his earliest recordings titled Long Way From Home (Third Man Records, 2016), and in 2018 Strings and Jokes (MIG), recordings of two 1977 live performances.

“The only thing that interests me,” said Redbone in a 1991 interview, “is history, reviewing the past and making something out of it.” He made a successful—if idiosyncratic—career on those terms. Redbone performed Tin Pan Alley songs such as “Shine On Harvest Moon” and “Ain’t Misbehaven” on Saturday Night Live, and his recording of Fats Waller’s “Your Feets Too Big” was the theme for Universal Television’s Harry and the Hendersons.

Never directly answering questions about his own past or his age, in public he inhabited his persona, saying, “I’m less than forthcoming, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m mysterious. It just means I’m not inclined to go there.”

Wherever he goes now, he will be missed here.