Zevon had a profound influence and helped shape the careers of many singer-songwriters in rock and roll. He has been eligible for this tremendous honor since 1994. What makes this statistic more shocking is that he has never even scored a nod for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He was known for such iconic songs as his Top 40 hit “Werewolves of London,” “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner,” as well as “Lawyers, Guns and Money” from his seminal Excitable Boy album. Rock queen Linda Ronstadt helped make his songs popular back in the late ’70s. He wrote Linda Ronstadt’s smash hit “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” which also became a country hit decades later for Terri Clark.
Other noteworthy Warren Zevon compositions include “Accidentally Like a Martyr,” “Carmelita,” and “Hasten Down the Wind.” As a songwriter, he has left behind a lengthy yet noteworthy body of musical work. He has also been featured many times on David Letterman’s talk show.
Zevon’s peers in the music industry were fans of his music, including Jackson Browne, the late Tom Petty, and “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen have extolled him as the “greatest songwriter,” and rightfully so.
While he passed away from cancer back in 2003, Zevon’s music and legacy live on.
To learn more about Warren Zevon and his musical legacy, check out his website.
