Levon Helm in final stages of cancer

[troutman]

Village Voice obituary:

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/...m_obituary.php

Levon Helm died yesterday, at 71, from cancer. You didn't have to know him (as I did, faintly, fondly), to know that along with possessing one of the most moving voices and wickedest backbeats American music will ever know, that he had one of the most incredible, most surprising lives imaginable. Born into sharecropper poverty in Arkansas, he not only witnessed the birth of rock and roll, but helped to preside over its re—birth, when he (briefly) played drums behind the wild, discordant, drug—driven rawk created by one of his bosses, Bob Dylan. That group, his group, The Hawks, went from five years of godawful, you-need-speed-to-get-through-'em gigs at every roadhouse and bar in the U.S., to being The Band, the biggest, most fawned-over Musical Ensemble this country had ever seen. By 1969, there were elegant concert halls, stadiums, tons of dough, more ink than any rock and roll band had gotten since The Beatles. Then, for Levon and several of the others, came near-poverty and very hard times. Forget Faulkner or Steinbeck; his life could've been scripted by Fitzgerald.

He attracted every cool musician in the Western World up to his home (literally, symbolically) in Woodstock, to play a Ramble. Gigs he also took on the road, reminding tens of thousands of kids hooked on The Black Crowes or Dave Matthews who The Big Daddy of Roots Music really was.

After I got the news yesterday that he'd died, I got into the car to drive around and think, two things I'm never good at doing simultaneously. Foolishly, I turned on the radio, expecting to hear The Band's music blasting, from one end of the dial to the other. I forgot about how doomed my expectation was. Corporate radio was not going to budge its mix of Def Leppard and Rihanna for five ####ing minutes to fete this great master of American Music. I thought, None of these porgrammers realize what terrible fate is awaiting them.

[troutman]

http://www.loslobos.org/site/news.shtml

04.22.12 Levon Helm (1940 - 2012)

Los Lobos would like to express our deepest condolences to the Levon Helm family. Our recent experience sharing the stage with Levon at what will be the last Ramble was truly one of the amazing nights of our entire career. The warmth and generosity Levon shared with us that night and every time we were together will light our hearts. He is and will forever be our brother.