Leonard Cohen | Artist

Leonard Cohen CC GOQ was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist born 1934 in Montreal. Cohen's work explored religion, politics, isolation, sexuality and personal relationships. He is regarded as one of the most fascinating and enigmatic singer-songwriters of the late '60s, second only to Bob Dylan. Cohen was born into an Orthodox Jewish family which attended Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, to which Cohen retained connections for the rest of his life. On the topic of his religious upbringing, he said in 1967, "I had a very Messianic childhood. I was told I was a descendant of Aaron, the high priest." Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s, and did not begin a music career until 1966. After graduating from McGill University, Cohen published his first book of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956). The book contained poems written when Cohen was between the ages of 15-20. He continued to write poetry and fiction throughout the 1960s and lived in quasi-reclusive circumstances in a house on the Greek island of Hydra. There he published the poetry collection Flowers for Hitler (1964), and the novel The Favourite Game (1963). His second novel Beautiful Losers (1966) received much attention from the Canadian press and stirred up controversy because of a number of sexually graphic passages. The Boston Globe review stated: "James Joyce is not dead. He is living in Montreal under the name of Cohen." In 1967, Cohen moved to the United States to pursue a career in folk music. During the 1960s, he was a fringe figure in Andy Warhol's "Factory" crowd. Warhol speculated that Cohen had spent time listening to Nico in clubs which influenced his stark and unadorned musical style. His song "Suzanne" became a hit for Judy Collins, who subsequently recorded a number of Cohen's other songs. After performing at a few folk festivals, he came to the attention of Columbia Records producer John Hammond, who signed Cohen to a record deal. His first album was Songs of Leonard Cohen released in late 1967 to generally dismissive reviews. Then followed three more albums of folk music Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971) and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974). His 1977 record Death of a Ladies' Man, co-written and produced by Phil Spector, was a departure from his previous minimalist sound. By this point Cohen was established as a prominent folk singer with a worldwide reputation. The artist went on to release 16 studio albums, plus several superb live albums, before his death in 2016. His first four studio albums between 1967-1974 are masterpieces. Other outstanding albums include I'm Your Man (1988), You Want it Darker (2016), and the live albums Live Songs (1973), Live in London (2009), and Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2009). In 2005, at the age of 71 and with a successful career behind him, it was discovered that Cohen's longtime manager and family friend, Kelley Lynch, had been stealing from him. Cohen discovered that he had unknowingly paid a credit card bill of Lynch's for $75,000, and that most of the money in his accounts was gone, including money from his retirement accounts and charitable trust funds. This had begun as early as 1996, when Lynch started selling Cohen's music publishing rights, behind his back. In October 2005, Cohen sued Lynch, who had misappropriated more than US$5 million from his retirement fund, leaving him only $150,000. To recoup the money his ex-manager had stolen, Cohen embarked on his first world tour in 15 years. With typical zen-like humility, he said that being "forced to go back on the road to repair the fortunes of my family was a most fortunate happenstance because I was able to connect with living musicians. And I think it warmed some part of my heart that had taken on a chill." Cohen continued to tour and perform with great energy and creative spirit for the rest of his life, to the delight of his many fans.

Artist Website: leonardcohen.com

Featured Albums: Leonard Cohen

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