Levon Helm faces final stages of cancer
Levon Helm, who rose to fame as drummer and vocalist for the iconic group The Band, was “in the final stages of his battle with cancer” – his family said in a brief announcement Tuesday afternoon on Facebook.
The 71-year-old musician’s beginnings could hardly have been more humbly or colourfully penned by a Hollywood screenwriter.
Born May 26, 1940, in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, the son of cotton farmers, he learned to play guitar and drums as a child. By 17 he was appearing in honky tonks in and around nearby Helena and taking in performance by such southern legends as Conway Twitty, Elvis Presley, Bo Diddley, and Ronnie Hawkins.
He joined Hawkins’ rockabilly band The Hawks just before they moved to Canada in the late 1950′s.
In the early 1960′s, Helm and Hawkins recruited Canadians Robbie Robertson (guitar), Rick Danko (bass) and pianist Richard Manuel and organist Garth Hudson. They left Hawkins and toured as Levon and the Hawks before backing Bob Dylan in the mid-60′s. Fans weren’t initially receptive to Dylan’s switch from acoustic folky to electric folk-rocker, and Helm headed back south, working on offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico for a couple of years until bassist Rick Danko asked him to rejoin the group that would become known around the world as, simply, The Band.
In recent years, Helm has hosted his famous Midnight Ramble on Saturday nights at his barn/recording studio in Woodstock, N.Y.
It was the album Music From Big Pink, named after The Band’s rented house in Woodstock, N.Y., and the hit track The Weight, on which Helm sang lead vocal, that rocketed the group to stardom. Besides drums, Helm also played mandolin, rhythm guitar and bass.
Levon Helm.
Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998, but that didn’t stop him from performing and recording albums.
His 2007 solo album “Dirt Farmer” and 2009′s “Electric Dirt” both won Grammys.
In recent years, Helm led a regular series of intimate jam sessions called “The Midnight Ramble” at his home in Woodstock, N.Y. He often had guests join him on stage for the shows, which would go into the wee hours of the morning. When his voice wasn’t up to par, Helm would play drums with a rotating group of vocalists.
Helm has been on the road lately with The Levon Helm Band, but was recently forced to cancel some shows, including an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival later this month.
Helm’s voice could be heard on such classics as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” He was part of The Band’s critically-acclaimed 1976 farewell concert – “The Last Waltz,” which was filmed by director Martin Scorsese.
Within hours of the announcement that Levon Helm was in the final stages of cancer, fans flooded his Facebook page with messages of support and fond recollections of the drummer and backbone of The Band.
By early Wednesday, more than 7.000 comments were posted.
“Truly one of our greatest musicians” – said Kip Millwee. “May he find his way absent of pain and in an ocean of peace.”
“We’ll keep dancing to your beat” – posted Joan Gummels. “Thanks for all the good times.”
“When I had the privilege to feel your energy at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival … You rocked my world” – Courtney Anne Steeves said. “Keep on shining.”
Some fans shared memories from decades past.
“I was at Woodstock and heard you play!” Sarah James recalled. “It was so marvelous and a memory I will have till I leave this earth.”
Helm’s wife, Sandy, and daughter Amy posted a message to the artist’s website regarding his condition on Tuesday.
“Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey” – his wife, Sandy, and daughter Amy wrote in a message posted to the artist’s website.
“Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration … he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage” – they said.
During an induction speech Saturday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Helm’s former bandmate Robbie Robertson offered his “prayers and love” for the drummer.