About Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen, whose songs provide the wonderful source material for the Conspiracy of Beards, is poet, novelist, songwriter and singer. A favorite of critics and discerning fans since the 1960s, Cohen's songs deal with spirituality, sexuality, longing, love and loss. His lyrics convey deep emotions and demand close attention. His songs have been celebrated by musicians and artists worldwide, and his rich body of work continues to attract new fans.

Born in Montreal, Canada in 1934, Cohen enrolled in McGill University at age 17, and published his first book of poetry when he was just 22. Over the next decade, Cohen published two novels, The Favorite Game (1963), and Beautiful Losers (1966), as well as a pair of poetry collections, Flowers for Hitler (1964) and Parasites of Heaven (1966). He started writing songs during this period, but it wasn't until singer Judy Collins found success with his song 'Suzanne' that Cohen was convinced to begin performing his own material publicly.

Cohen made his musical debut during the summer of 1967 at the Newport Folk Festival, followed by a pair of sold-out concerts in New York City. His first album, The Songs of Leonard Cohen, was released at the end of 1967. Cohen's music quickly found a small but dedicated following. College students by the thousands bought it, and by it's second year of release the album had sold more than 100,000 copies. The Songs of Leonard Cohen was as close as Cohen ever came to mass audience success.

Cohen continued recording, often with long breaks between albums, throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He produced a number of acclaimed albums, including Songs From a Room, New Skin for the Old Ceremony, Songs of Love and Hate, Death of a Ladies' Man, Various Positions, and I'm Your Man.

During the 1990s, Cohen continued to release new material, but also embarked on a new phase of his life. He started spending more and more time at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center, a Buddhist retreat in California, and eventually became a full-time resident. In 1996, he was ordained as a Zen Buddhist monk. When he re-emerged in 1999, Cohen had many new compositions in hand, songs and poems alike. He has release several albums since then, and continues to write and record new music from his current home in Los Angeles.

Leonard Cohen has been the subject of two tribute albums, "I'm Your Fan" and "Tower of Song", which featured recordings of his songs by R.E.M., the Pixies, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, John Cale, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, and Elton John. In addition, Lian Lunson's 2006 film, "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man," shows Cohen reflecting on his work and career. The film also captures U2, Jarvis Cocker, Rufus Wainwright, Beth Orton and many others professing their admiration for Cohen and performing his songs, showcasing Cohen's continuing popularity with musicians.

In 2008 Leonard Cohen launched a world tour, which will continue into 2009 and include his first U.S. shows in 15 years.