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One
of the most acute and savagely satiric songwriters of his
era, Warren Zevon was born in Chicago on January 24, 1947.
His formative years were as colorful as the scenarios played
out in his music: his father was a professional gambler,
a lifestyle which forced the family to move frequently,
and Zevon spent most of his formative years in California
and Arizona. He learned to play piano, focusing primarily
on classical material before a disintegrating home life
led him into pop music, as well as a few run-ins with the
law; after his parents divorced when he was 16 years old,
Zevon hopped into the Corvette his father won in a card
game and headed for New York to become a folksinger. His
music found little response, however, and he returned to
California, eventually releasing his first recordings as
part of the duo Lyme and Cybelle. Session work followed
before Zevon issued his solo debut Wanted--Dead or Alive
in 1969; the LP received a poor reception, and so he returned
to session work and composing advertising jingles, and also
served as the Everly Brothers' pianist before the duo's
break-up. Following a 1974 sabbatical to Spain, Zevon returned
to Los Angeles, where his longtime friend Jackson Browne
had secured him a recording deal; with Browne in the producer's
seat, Zevon cut a self-titled offering which was met with
lavish critical praise upon its 1976 release. His 1978 follow-up
Excitable Boy established him as a wholly unique talent,
and earned a sizable hit with its wry single "Werewolves
of London."
Full
Biography and Discography
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