Best known as the steady drummer behind The Band, Levon Helm's earthy musical roots come from his upbringing in rural Arkansas. It was there he was exposed to classic radio shows such as the King Biscuit Time and the Grand Ole Opry; he was spurred to pick up a guitar by performances he saw at traveling minstrel shows.
In 1957 Helm met fellow Arkansas musician Ronnie Hawkins and they formed the R&B-drenched Hawks. Hawkins eventually departed and the group became simply The Band, widely remembered for backing Bob Dylan during his ill-received "electric outing" of 1965. Although Helm sat in the drummer's chair for The Band, his occasional lead vocal duties (most memorably on "The Weight"), display a country-blues sensibility that helped define The Band's rebellious Americana essence. Their first album, Music From Big Pink (1968), followed the next year by The Band, are nothing less than rock standard bearers. The Band's farewell concert was filmed at Winterland in San Francisco in the fall of 1976; captured by Martin Scorsese, The Last Waltz is considered one of the most iconic concert films ever.
Helm, a gifted storyteller and songwriter, later released several well-received solo outings, and reunited at various times with Band members. He recovered enough from a difficult bout with throat cancer to begin recording again in 2004. A pair of excellent sessions from his well-known Midnight Rambles — concerts held with friends at his Woodstock, New York studio — was released in 2006. Dirt Farmer, his first solo effort since 1982, was released in 2007.
Provenance: Elaine, Arkansas
Latest release: Dirt Farmer (2007)
© 2007 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Levon Helm
