11:11 PM
Jordan
Written by Chris Adams
Levon Helm: Bluegrass and country music…if it comes down
into that area and mixes there with the rhythm and if it dances, then you’ve
got a combination of all that music...
Martin Scorcese: What’s it called?
Levon Helm: Rock and
Roll. (From The Last Waltz)
With Levon Helm’s
passing today, it is a good time to remember the incredible things that he has
done for this genre that he considers rock and roll. Not only was he a great drummer for one of
the most critically acclaimed bands to come from the 1960s and 70s, but also, a
singer that was accomplished enough to be named to Time Magazine’s 100 greatest
singers. For those not familiar with his
work, I strongly urge you to seek out The Last Waltz dvd and give it a watch. It’s a who’s who of the music from this
period, but Helm’s musicianship and demeanor on stage are a strong part of why
this concert film is considered the best of all time.
Helm was born in
Arkansas to the son of a farmer. He
later began playing gigs with Ronnie Hawkins as a teenager. After this, he formed his own band called
“Levon and the Hawks”. There he met Rick
Danko, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson who would all later go on to play
behind Bob Dylan and eventually, do their own thing. They called themselves “The Band”.
Levon and his band
mates went on to produce a sound that can only be described as mentioned above
by Levon, himself. Because of the
musician’s virtuosic abilities, their sound was top notch in combining Helm’s
drumming with the rest of the band in creating a sound is not heard from in
today’s music that is choked with autotune and lipsynching. Levon left “The
Band” after “The Last Waltz” and collaborated with many musicians during the
1980s. He came upon hard times in the
1990s, after his home burned down and was also diagnosed with throat cancer
later in the decade. Helm underwent
radiation and could not sing for an extended period of time. In this past decade, he regained his voice
and held a show every Saturday night
called the Midnight Rambles. He also
released two Grammy-winning albums called “Dirt Farmer” (2007) and “Electric
Dirt” (2009). Both of which I own and
are excellent albums that play off of each other very nicely.
Levon Helm was one of
the all-time greats and if you haven’t given his music a listen, I don’t think
you’ll be disappointed. With “Levon and
the Hawks”, “The Band”, or his solo career, the music is so stripped down and
raw, combined with excellent songwriting, that this music will get ahold of you
and you’ll find yourself hitting repeat quite a few times. I, like many others, have only one thing to
say: Thanks, Levon.
, 
