Warren Zevon

Warren William Zevon ˈziːvɒn 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 wellknown He also wrote major hits that were recorded by other artists including Poor Poor Pitiful Me Mohammeds Radio Carmelita and Hasten Down the Wind Per The New York Times Mr Zevon had a pulpfiction imagination which yielded terse actionpacked gallowshumored 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 Zevons 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 REM 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 Zevons last appearance Letterman asked him if he had learned anything about matters of life and death Zevon said hed learned How much youre supposed to enjoy every sandwich Description above from the Wikipedia article Warren Zevon licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia