Helm was great in that one. Cripple Creek in The Last Waltz was great as well.
I remember reading or hearing a quote attributed to Elton John: "A drummer should never sing....unless your name is Levon"....or something to that effect.
Originally Posted by skeen
The Last Waltz, of course, is iconic.
When growing up if your grandma still called it the "War of Northern Aggression" you have to appreciate this one...
I am lucky enough to live an hour from Levon's home in Woodstock and saw him several times. I saw a Midnight Ramble at his home after his first bout with throat cancer and saw him play at a local farm (the Gill farm). Levon was so down to earth. Garth Hudson also still lives in the Woodstock area. The Band is one of my all-time favorite bands, yet I never saw them in concert. Robertson was easily replaced as a guitar player and he was a lousy singer, such that most of the time his mic was turned way down during a concert. He was a good song writer but didn't give his bandmates any credit for their contributions. Levon was very bitter about that. They still hold Midnight Rambles at Levon's home as Levon's last wish was to "keep it going." The pregnant lady in the pink dress is his daughter Amy and she is a fixture at the Rambles as is Larry Campbell and his wife Teresa Williams.
In the video linked below "Poor Old Dirt Farmer" you can see his friend Mr. Gill and see Levon drive a tractor and his Midnight Ramble Band. Mr. Gill was a veteran of Iwo Jima.
I'm a percussionist in an Americana band and I've read a couple of Levon's books. I love his drumming philosophy of just keeping a nice pocket and letting the other musicians shine. Also, it's not easy to drum and sing at the same time.
This is a video as to how it all got started pre- "The Band." "Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks." The drummer in this video is a very young Levon Helm. When I used to see them playing the honkytonks in Fayetteville, Ark., Robbie Robbinson had joined the group.
Read the comments.
L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks had a circuit than went from Arkansas to Ontario Canada. It was up in Canada that he picked up Robertson, Danko, Manual and Hudson: Helm being the only US born member of The Band. Hawkins told his young band that he couldn't pay them much but that they would get all the pussy they could handle. Levon said that he got the clap so frequently in those early that he carried syringes of penicillin with him. BTW Levon hated the The Last Waltz film. Scorsese was infatuated with Robertson and much of the film keys in on him. It was Roberson's decision to stop touring. Also, much of the music on the film was over-dubbed which Levon greatly objected to (and would not participate in) as he felt it wasn't an honest representation of their last concert. Reportedly Robertson flubbed a number of songs including the leads to "It Makes No Difference." Levon said that Garth Hudson was The Band's best musician and Richard Manual was the best singer.
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