Although Leon Redbone's iconic guise of white fedora, jacket and dark sunglasses has been thoroughly satirized, it's easy to overlook what a genuinely gifted artist he remains. His love affair with tunes from the turn-of-the-19th/20th-century, flapper-era radio ditties, depression-spawned ragtime and WWII folk-jazz is as contagious as a good giggle. Opportunities for this unlikely figure to impose himself on pop culture have been plentiful: his network debut on Saturday Night Live in 1976, making him a cult classic; the wise, animated snowman in Elf (his duet on Baby, It's Cold Outside served as the picture's theme song); TV title tunes to Mr Belvedere and Harry & The Hendersons; the homespun beer jingle This Bud's for You; the Getting To Know You voice on a series of Chevrolet ads; etc. It's easy to get lost in his stage exploits, and overlook what a truly fine player he is -- fingerpicking with a ragtime bounce or jumping between chords with the grace of a card sharp.
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