Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Warren Zevon was the dark horse of the singer-songwriter generation — too literary for rock radio, too rowdy for the folk crowd, and better than most of both. I love that his most famous song is basically a deadpan joke about a hairy guy in a fancy restaurant, yet the man could also write "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" with the deadpan seriousness of a Cold War novelist. His 1978 album Excitable Boy is a masterclass in making pitch-black subject matter sound like a good time, and his friendship with the Eagles crowd always struck me as proof that the sharpest mind in the room doesn't always get top billing. What really gets me is his final album, The Wind, recorded after a terminal mesothelioma diagnosis in 2003 — he basically looked death in the eye and said, let me get one more great record in. He did. Miss him.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Warren Zevon
- Name (Japanese)
- ウォーレン・ジヴォン
- Reading
- うぉーれん・じゔぉん
- Born
- January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Boar
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Occupation
- singer / songwriter / singer-songwriter / guitarist / pianist
2. Background
- High school
- McLane High School
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Werewolves of London | — | |
| Notable work | Lawyers, Guns and Money | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Warren Zevon born?
January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003.
Where is Warren Zevon from?
Warren Zevon is from Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What does Warren Zevon do?
Warren Zevon works as singer, songwriter, singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist.
What is Warren Zevon known for?
Notable works include Werewolves of London, Lawyers, Guns and Money.
Singer — see all → · Songwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.