(January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003)
was an American
rock singer
and songwriter.
His most famous
compositions include
"Werewolves of London",
"Lawyers, Guns and Money"
and
"Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner".
All three songs
are featured
on his third album,
Excitable Boy
(1978),
the title track
of which is also
well-known.
He also wrote major hits
that were recorded by
other artists,
including
"Poor Poor Pitiful Me",
"Mohammed's Radio",
"Carmelita"
and
"Hasten Down the Wind".
Per
The New York Times,
"Mr. Zevon had a
pulp-fiction imagination"
which yielded
"terse, action-packed,
gallows-humored tales
that could sketch an
entire screenplay
in four minutes
and often had death
as a punchline.
But there was also
vulnerability
and longing
in Mr. Zevon's ballads,
like
'Mutineer,'
'Accidentally Like a Martyr'
and
'Hasten Down the Wind'."
Zevon had
early music
industry successes
as a session musician,
jingle composer,
songwriter,
touring musician,
musical coordinator
and bandleader.
However,
he struggled to break through
with a solo career
until
Linda Ronstadt
performed his music
on her 1976 album
Hasten Down the Wind.
It launched a
cult following
that lasted 25 years,
with Zevon making
occasional returns
to album and single charts
until his death
from mesothelioma
in 2003.
He briefly found
a new audience
by teaming up with
members of R.E.M.
in the blues rock outfit
Hindu Love Gods
for a
1990 album release,
although no tour followed.
In 2025,
Zevon was selected
for induction into
the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame
in the
Musical Influence
Award category.
Known for his dry wit
and acerbic lyrics,
he was a frequent guest
on Late Night with
David Letterman
and the Late Show
with David Letterman.
On Zevon's last appearance,
Letterman asked him
if he had learned anything
about matters of
life and death.
Zevon said he'd learned
"How much you're supposed to
enjoy every sandwich."
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