Levon Helm, who had been battling cancer for years, died today. Helm anchored the Band for most of its existence as the group’s drummer and lead vocalist, not to mention the only American in a group of Canadians. He had a modest but well-regarded solo career in the late seventies, did some acting, and then enjoyed a resurgence in recent years with “Dirt Farmer” and “Electric Dirt.” His Woodstock home, the Barn, has been the site of a rotating series of performances, or “rambles,” that began as a way of raising money for him when he was first diagnosed with throat cancer in the late nineties, and continued as a living testament to American roots music. Helm, missed by all, will be remembered mostly through his music, some of which is below, along with a recent, valedictory interview.
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“Up On Cripple Creek” (1978)
The Band, at the height of its power, performing “Up On Cripple Creek” for Martin Scorsese’s concert film “The Last Waltz.”
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“The Weight” (1995)
This 1995 performance of The Band’s most famous song, with the surviving members of the group, was occasioned by the release of a career-spanning box set.
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“Poor Old Dirt Farmer” (2007)
The title track to Helm’s 2007 album casts him in one of his favorite roles: spokesman for the rural everyman.
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“Take Me To The River” (1978)
In 1978, the same year that Talking Heads covered Al Green’s soul classic, Helm recorded his own version for an eponymous solo album.
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“Atlantic City” (1994)
One of the Band’s late-career highlights was their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s anthem about broken American dreams.
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Interview (2012)
Helm, frail from cancer, spoke on PBS Arts’ Sound Tracks: Quick Hits series in March of this year about his life, career, and the Ramble series at his Woodstock home.
Photograph of Helm backstage at Fillmore East, in 1969, by Elliot Landy/Magnum.