The Man Behind The Drums

Asked what band he would want to join, Eric Clapton said The Band.   They were the quintessential American musical group who looking back birthed an entire genre of music.  Robbie Robertson wrote the songs and Richard Manuel was their soul but Levon Helm was their heart.  We've all known this day would come as he has been battling cancer off and on since the late 90's but the news today still hits home really hard.  I've never met Levon, but he has been a big part of my life through his music for over 35 years.

When I was a kid in the 70's it was all about Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith.  Then I saw The Last Waltz on HBO around '78 and my musical journey changed forever.  Who the hell are these old guys (that's pretty funny looking back) and why haven't I heard this music before.  My parents were vast musical wastelands so it was by accident that I heard all of these great sounds.  I was hooked and it led me to so many other great artists over the years, but I kept coming back to the Band time and again.  I was hooked from the first song...



These guys made a sound that uniquely American music and Levon in particular was, for me, the voice. I bought it all from Big Pink right up to The Last Waltz and I've been playing the crap out of them ever since.



One of my big music regrets is that I was too young to ever see them live. I was so excited a couple of years back to catch Levon and his Ramble band a couple of times. It may not have been the same but it was, well it was wonderful. His voice was pretty shot by this point but the joy and love came shining through. My family had been playing Electric Dirt pretty heavily at the time. My son is still singing Tennessee Jed...he thought it was one of his because when Levon sang one he owned it.



I really don't have the ability to put into words how much Levon has meant to me over the years. A true American treasure that won't soon be forgotten. If you don't know this already you have some catching up to do.  Rest In Peace Levon.

Sunday Youtube Treats

It's been a very busy couple of weeks so I am just kind of vegging today.  Here are some really interesting clips floating around YouTube.

The Band - King Harvest Has Surely Come recorded in Woodstock


Buffalo Springfield - I am a Child and Kind Woman from Bridge School Benefit.


Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man from the Bookshop Sessions


Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Let Them Knock from French TV


Good music for a great Sunday afternoon! Enjoy friends.

Levon Helm - Electric Dirt

You have probably heard the story by now. Levon Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer some years back and he could barely speak much less sing. At some point his voice miraculously returned, albeit a little more ragged but no less engaging. He began to host semi-regular musical events, rambles, at his farm in Woodstock featuring music friends and family. A couple of years back he released the wonderful Dirt Farmer which featured some covers of folk & bluegrass tunes both old and of a more recent vintage.

While Dirt Farmer was pretty much an acoustic album, his newest release Electric Dirt is more firmly rooted in his own musical history, that is it sounds like something that the voice of the Band would make. Robbie Robertson may have written the songs, but it was Levon Helm who imbued them with the sound of the rural south. His voice was, and is, instantly recognizable and while it is a little more worn and ragged it is no less compelling an instrument.

Check out the video of Tennessee Jed below. The joy that comes through is infectious. This album, more than its predecessor reminds the listener of just why the Band was such a great group to begin with. The sound is pure Americana with an authenticity that many newer artists can only hope to achieve some day. Tracks like Growin' Trade and When I Go Away stay with you. At once new and interesting while at the same time familiar and comfortable. I've heard some good albums this year, in particular from Otis Gibbs and William Elliott Whitmore,but as of right now this is my favorite. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.


The Making of Electric Dirt


Tennessee Jed on Letterman