Warren Zevon

The Chicago-born Los Angeles songwriter of "Werewolves of London", whose 1976 debut closes with "Desperados Under the Eaves".

Los Angeles

Warren William Zevon was born on January 24, 1947 in Chicago and grew up partly in Fresno, California. He recorded in the 1960s as half of the duo lyme and cybelle, whose "Follow Me" reached 65 on the Billboard pop chart in April 1966, then worked as a session musician, jingle writer and songwriter, and was keyboardist and musical coordinator for the Everly Brothers. His first solo album, Wanted Dead or Alive, came out in 1969 or 1970. In 1976 he returned to Los Angeles and Jackson Browne produced Warren Zevon (May 18, 1976, Asylum); Linda Ronstadt recorded his songs, including "Hasten Down the Wind".

Excitable Boy (1978) included "Werewolves of London", which reached 21. Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School (1980) was followed by the live Stand in the Fire (1980), The Envoy (1982), Sentimental Hygiene (1987, with members of R.E.M.), Transverse City (1989), Mr. Bad Example (1991), Learning to Flinch (1993), Mutineer (1995), Life'll Kill Ya (2000) and My Ride's Here (2002). He formed the Hindu Love Gods with Bill Berry, Peter Buck and Mike Mills, and was an occasional bandleader on David Letterman's show from 1982 to 2001. The Wind (August 26, 2003) reached 12 on the Billboard 200, went gold and won two Grammys, one for "Disorder in the House" with Bruce Springsteen. Warren Zevon died on September 7, 2003, aged 56.

He entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025 in the musical influence category, with Letterman inducting him on November 8, 2025. Tributes include Enjoy Every Sandwich (2004) and Hurry Home Early (2005); Crystal Zevon's oral history I'll Sleep When I'm Dead appeared in 2007, and the VH1 documentary Inside Out: Warren Zevon covers his life.