Levon Helm is one of the most talented and well-respected musicians of the last century and tonight we are fortunate enough to be hosting him at UB's Center for The Arts Mainstage Theatre. Known best for his work with The Band, Levon's skills as a drummer and singer have certainly left their mark on music. In the early 1960's, rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins recruited Arkansas-bred Levon, along with four young Canadians to be his touring band, called the Hawks. They were still teenagers at the time, and gained a lot of life and musical experience on the road with him. Their development as a band brought them to the attention of a young Bob Dylan, who was scandalously transitioning away from acoustic folk, and in 1965 used these guys for several shows across the United States as his controversial first electric backing band. When the tour took them overseas however, Levon Helm ditched the drama and spent the next couple of years working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1967, however, Dylan and the rest of the band were hanging out in Woodstock, NY, casually making music, and Levon was persuaded to come up and rejoin. The music that he made with Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, and Richard Manuel (with occasional input from Bob) would later become The Band's first release, Music From Big Pink. This and their second, self-titled album, put The Band on the map as a group who defied the ubiquitous psychadelic sound of the late 60's to create genuine, rootsy American music. The combination of the Canadian members' outside perspective and Levon's home-spun, son-of-cotton-farmers authenticity helped form a style that was as nostalgic as it was refreshing to people who had grown so confused in the purple haze of rock and roll and the struggles of 60's politics that they hardly recognized where they came from anymore. For many people, The Band's music was like a tether back to reality. Songs like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Up On Cripple Creek," and "Rag Mama Rag" told great stories and painted sublime pictures of simpler, rural existance tied up with our shared national history. The Band's music is truly legendary and Levon Helm was an essential part of making that the case.
Here's a clip of Levon killing it on "Dixie" from The Last Waltz.
Since The Band's dissolution in 1976, Levon has been very busy, continuing to play music in collaboration with countless artists including Johnny Cash, Billy Preston, Emmylou Harris, and Warren Haynes. His home is still in Woodstock, where his barn studio has become a mecca for blues, bluesgrass, and rock and roll musicians to play and record. A bout with throat cancer in the late 90's has weakened Helm's unforgettable voice and though it's not as voluminous as it once was, it is no less passionate or powerful. His current touring band is comprised of unparalleled musicians, including his golden-voiced daughter Amy Helm, and genuis multi-instumentalist Larry Campbell. Their shows are a celebration of folk, country, and rock music, showcasing standards, originals, and choice covers alike for an amazing show. The music starts tonight at 7:30, with Reid Genauer opening.
~ek
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