Bob Cato

Music Profile

Leonard Cohen

The Only True Rock Poet By Jim Allen

Folk-rock's Canadian Poet Laureate.

The first singer/songwriter to seriously challenge Bob Dylan for his Poet King crown, moody Montreal balladeer Leonard Cohen came by his lyrical mastery honestly: he was already an acclaimed poet and novelist before he ever recorded a note. Fortunately for us all, he decided music was where the money was and gave songwriting a shot, recording his jaw-dropping debut album in 1967. His heady, symbolic lyrics were as carefully crafted as Dylan's were spontaneously sprouted, and they meshed with his laconic delivery in a marvelously melancholy way. Cohen remained mostly an esteemed cult figure into the ‘70s, but his comeback began with 1988's I'm Your Man, which replaced his former folk-rock settings with a more modern, synth-tinged sound and earned him legions of new fans. Increased sales and multiple tribute albums followed, as did further masterpieces. Cohen continued touring and recording well into the 2000s, becoming more celebrated as a septuagenarian than he had ever been in his early days.

TAGS: Ballads, Black Humor, Canada, Comebacks, Folk-Rock, Lyrics, Melancholy, Moody, Novelist, Poet, Quebec, Singer/Songwriter, Symbolism, Tribute Album, Troubadour,

FACTS: Born/Formed: September 21, 1934; Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Leonard Cohen, The Leonard Cohen Files

  • Music Profile

    Anjani Singer, Songwriter

  • Music Profile

    Charlie Daniels Country-Rock Fiddler

  • Music Profile

    Jennifer Warnes Singer

  • Music Profile

    John Simon Producer, Cult Singer-Songwriter

  • Music Profile

    Kaleidoscope Music Group

  • Music Profile

    Phil Spector Producer

  • Music Profile

    Neil Young Iconic Canadian singer/songwriter

    By T. Cole Rachel

    Legendary both for his critical and commercial successes and for… >>

  • Music Profile

    Paolo Conte Singer, Songwriter

  • Music Profile

    Pearls Before Swine Music Group

  • Music Profile

    Rufus Wainwright Singer, Songwriter

  • Music Profile

    Serge Gainsbourg Singer, Producer

  • Music Profile

    Kate and Anna McGarrigle Singing Canadian Sisters

  • Books Profile

    Allen Ginsberg Poet of Peace and Revolution

    By Damian Van Denburgh

    A relentless, revolutionary force in poetry.

    >>
  • Music Profile

    Bob Dylan Folkie, Rock Legend, Singer-Songwriter, Troubadour

  • Music Profile

    Gordon Lightfoot Singer, Songwriter

  • Music Profile

    Hank Williams King of Country Music

    By Stewart Mason

    The man who personified country music.

    >>
  • Books Profile

    Irving Layton Poet

  • Music Profile

    Jacques Brel Singer, Songwriter

Leonard Cohen's Critical Connections