On November 8, Warren Zevon will be inducted posthumously into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. About two weeks earlier, on October 24, a star-studded tribute to the late singer/songwriter will be held in downtown L.A.
The concert, dubbed “Join Me in L.A.: The Songs of Warren Zevon,” will feature performances by various noteworthy artists. They include Jackson Browne, Shooter Jennings, Fountains of Wayne, Marshall Crenshaw, Susan Cowsill, Dream Syndicate frontman Steve Wynn, and Zevon’s frequent collaborator Jorge Calderón.
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Also participating in the show will be Warren’s son Jordan, Young Fresh Fellows/The Minus 5 frontman Scott McCaughey, Inara George, Chris Stills, Eleni Mandell, Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie, John Wesley Harding, Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken, and Leslie Mendelson.
In addition, bassists Lee Sklar and Bob Glaub, and drummer Rick Marotta, will join house band The Wild Honey Orchestra. Sklar, Glaub, and Marotta all played on multiple Zevon albums.
The show will be held at The United Theater on Broadway. It’s expected to feature more than 25 songs from all periods of Warren’s career.
Tickets for the “Join Me in L.A.: The Songs of Warren Zevon” concert are on sale now at AXS.com. The tribute show is being presented by The Wild Honey Foundation and Zevon’s family. The concert is a benefit event that will raise money for The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization and The Ed Asner Family Center for the Autism Community.
Warren died at age 56 in 2003 of mesothelioma, a form of cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos.
About the Wild Honey Foundation
The Wild Honey Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports various charities. According to its official website, the foundation “seeks to pass on the passion, creativity, and idealism found in rock, R&B, folk, and pop music to future generations through cultural events of all types.”
More About Warren Zevon
Zevon was a widely respected singer and songwriter known for his mix of wry, dark, and poignant tunes. His most famous song, “Werewolves of London,” reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.
“Werewolves of London” appeared on Zevon’s Excitable Boy album, which reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200. The record was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1 million in the U.S. The album also featured the title track, “Johnny Strikes Up the Band,” “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” “Tenderness on the Block.” The latter song was co-written by Browne.
Among Warren’s other noteworthy tunes are “Hasten Down the Wind,” “Mohammed’s Radio,” “Desperados Under the Eaves,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” “Jeannie Needs a Shooter” (co-written by Bruce Springsteen), “Mutineer,” and “Keep Me I Your Heart.” Linda Ronstadt scored a Top-40 hit with a cover of “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” in 1977. She also recorded “Hasten Down the Wind.”
In the late 1980s, Zevon formed a band called Hindu Love Gods with R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry. The group released a self-titled album in 1990.
Zevon’s final studio album, The Wind, was recorded while he was dying and released two weeks before his 2003 passing. Warren won two posthumous Grammys thanks to star-studded project. The Wind itself received the Best Contemporary Folk Album award, while “Disorder in the House,” a duet with Springsteen, won the Best Rock Vocal Performance (Group or Duo) prize.
Zevon will be inducted into the Rock Hall in conjunction with receiving the Musical Influence Award.
(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)