Leonard Cohen Biography

His subsequent poetry books met with critical acclaim and, thanks to a family heritance, he was able to indulge in travel. His novels 'The Favorite Game' and 'Beautiful Losers' were also received well, and it was thanks to folk star, Judy Collins, that he made his debut at the Newport Folk Festival in 1967.

Cohen was signed to Columbia Records and, in 1968, released his first album, 'The Songs of Leonard Cohen', which was well received, but his follow-up albums failed to meet the success of his debut. However, in 1973 his music became the basis for a theatrical production, called 'Sisters of Mercy' which helped keep his music alive.

In 1988, popular American diva, Jennifer Warnes, released a cover album of Cohen tracks, 'Famous Blue Raincoat' and helped remind the public of his music.

In 1991, the covers album 'I'm Your Fan' saw stars such as REM, Nick Cave and Lloyd Cole tackle more of Cohen's songs. Another tribute album, 'Tower of Song', in 1995, featured yet more interpretations of Cohen songs, by more mainstream artists, such as Billy Joel, Sting, Elton John and Bono.

Cohen was inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 where he was described as a "poet, in the classical, arts-and-letters sense of the word". Other artists bestowed with this honour are Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Joni Mitchell, although according to the powers that be at the hall of fame, Cohen "heads this elite class".

In his speech at the singer-songwriter's induction, Lou Reed said that Cohen belonged to "the highest and most influential echelon of songwriters".

Cohen experienced something of a resurgence in his career when he launched a comeback tour in 2008 which spanned Europe, Australia, Canada, Israel and the United States and saw him give 246 live performances over a two year period from May 2008 until December 2010. ‘Live in London’ and ‘Songs from the Road’ were the two live albums to come out of the tour, with the DVD of Live in London earning him a Porin Award in Croatia.

In 2010, Cohen was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to music and the same year saw him being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Cohen hit the headlines recently when a former music manager and lawyer of his, Marty Machat, announced that he would be selling never-before-seen footage of the singer. Among the archives is reportedly film of the singer-songwriter as a child.

Cohen is known for being reclusive and rarely speaking about his work. On his travels, he famously spent several years at a Zen Buddhist monastery, where he was able to escape media attention as well as build his reputation as an enigma.

He has said that the time spent in the monastery helped alleviate his depression and his subsequent work has reflected this. 2004's ‘Dear Heather’ was a cheerful collaboration with partner and jazz chanteuse Anjani Thomas.

His music has spanned a wide range of genres, from the stripped down folk of his earlier work to the synth-laden bombast of the albums released in the 1980s. However, throughout the singer has maintained his sense of irony and ability to turn a phrase.

Cohen's legacy was most recently noted in the public sphere when X Factor winner Alexandra Burke covered the songwriter's classic ‘Hallelujah’, which took the coveted Christmas Number One slot.