Happy birthday to singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, born this day in 1947 — a favorite of David Letterman, and arguably anyone with a penchant for gallows humor. Zevon briefly studied classical music with Igor Stravinsky in his early teens before quitting high school, moving to Los Angeles, and floundering for a long time. Session musician, jingle writer, soundtrack composer — Zevon lived the life of a down-and-out working musician whose peers all seemed to be hitting it big despite his talent and appealing acerbity. Then came his breakout album, “Excitable Boy,” in 1978, whose title track was about a teenager’s murderous prom night, followed by historical ditty “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner,” and the two album singles that continue to get radio play today, “Werewolves of London,” and my personal favorite “Lawyers, Guns, and Money.” He released a dozen more albums over the next 25 years and, although none would top this one, he became the guy whose songs everyone covered and enjoyed slightly better than a cult following. Photo of Zevon opening for Jackson Browne in 1976 by Klaus Hiltscher, CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED.
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