A Music Legend Is Gone

Today is a sad day, because the world has lost another musical genius -- the great Levon Helm. Yesterday this simple message was put on Helm's website, "Levon Helm passed peacefully this afternoon. He was surrounded by family, friends and band mates and will be remembered by all he touched as a brilliant musician and a beautiful soul." He finally succumbed after a long bout with throat cancer.

Helm was a multi-Grammy winner, including a Grammy for lifetime achievement in 2008. He was also an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame issued a statement saying:

"As a member of the one of the most influential rock and roll groups, The Band, Levon Helm produced music that was as much timeless as it was timely. In the late 1960s and early 1970s when the country was divided, The Band still projected a sense of unity and brought generations of fans together from all over the world."

Levon Helm played with many musicians and groups, but he will probably be best remembered for his time with The Band. He was one of the group's creators. He was a songwriter, played drums and several other instruments, and sang many memorable vocals for the group. If there ever was such a thing as a "super-group", The Band would have to qualify.

Personally, I think their 1968 album "Music from Big Pink" is one of the greatest albums ever produced -- in any musical genre. Other albums by The Band were: "The Band", "Stage Fright", "Cahoots", and "Moondog Matinee". The group broke up in 1976 after giving an all-star concert. That concert was filmed by Martin Scorsese, and released as the film "The Last Waltz".

I am deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary Levon Helm. The one saving grace is that he leaves behind a wonderful body of work -- which I'm sure will thrill music fans far into the future.

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Last summer, I was lucky enough to have made a pilgrimage to Woodstock, New York. On that trip, I was thrilled to be able to visit a couple of "landmarks" (pictured below). The first is Levon Helm's studio and performing venue, where he gave weekly concerts that he called Midnight Rambles. The second is the house where The Band holed up to write and produce their first album, "Music from Big Pink".