Like Father, Like Son: Leonard and Adam Cohen

A few weeks ago, I introduced an idea of musical parents and their children. My first post on the subject was about Willie Nelson and his son, Lukas. You can find that post HERE.  Today, we’re going to talk about another musical family.


Today’s post is about Leonard Cohen and his son Adam Cohen.

Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (September 21, 1934 – November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, poet, novelist, and painter.  Cohen was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 2011, Cohen received one of the Prince of Asturias Awards for literature and the ninth Glenn Gould Prize.

Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s; he did not launch a music career until 1967, at the age of 33. His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), was followed by 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 was co-written and produced by Phil Spector, which was a move away from Cohen's previous minimalist sound. In 1979, Cohen returned with the more traditional Recent Songs, which blended his acoustic style with jazz and Oriental and Mediterranean influences. Perhaps Cohen's most famous song, "Hallelujah" was first released on his studio album Various Positions in 1984. I'm Your Man in 1988 marked Cohen's turn to synthesized productions and remains his most popular album. In 1992, Cohen released its follow-up, The Future, which had dark lyrics and references to political and social unrest.

Cohen returned to music in 2001 with the release of Ten New Songs, which was a major hit in Canada and Europe. His eleventh album, Dear Heather, followed in 2004. After a successful string of tours between 2008 and 2010, Cohen released three albums in the final four years of his life: Old Ideas (2012), Popular Problems (2014) and You Want It Darker (2016), the last of which was released three weeks before his death.

Adam Cohen is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter. Born September 18. 1972. As a recording artist, he has released four major label albums, three in English and one in French. His album We Go Home was released on September 15, 2014. Currently residing in Los Angeles, he is also part of the pop-rock band Low Millions from California.












And that concludes today’s post about Leonard and Adam Cohen.  Are there any other parent child musicians that you would like to learn about or hear their music? Let me know in the comments below.