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Leon Redbone

In an age where stars shamelessly chase fame like their lives depend on it, few performers are as intentionally enigmatic as Leon Redbone. Ever since his earliest widespread exposure in 1974, when he clouded his identity with claims that he was the love child of Paganini and Jenny Lind, Redbone’s vaudevillian persona became as recognizable as his eerily spot-on interpretations of early 20th century jazz and blues songs like “Up a Lazy River.” Schtick or no, it landed him several appearances on Saturday Night Live, and by the 80s Anheuser-Busch tapped him for a memorable jingle: “This Bud’s for You.” Now that Redbone is into his third decade of performing songs from the early 1900s, the sense of nostalgia he’ll be bringing to the Tralf on Thursday (Feb. 8) is sure to feel one way for baby boomers and another way for their kids—who may be hearing this cool stuff for the first time