Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)

Subject: Levon Helm is passing
From: Will Fly
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 03:36 AM

Difficult to find an appropriate title for this thread but, as I'm sure many at Mudcat will know, Levon Helm is in the last stages of his cancer. I've loved this man's music ever since I first heard it all those years ago - I think he was a truly distinctive voice in American music. I'm just glad that he got the chance to make the "Dirt Farmer" and "Electric Dirt" albums while in some respite from the disease.

I'm playing "Golden Bird" as I write this - eyes filled with tears. Let's hope he stays with us as long as he can. From the front page of his website:

Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey.

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...

We appreciate all the love and support and concern.
From his daughter Amy, and wife Sandy

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: G-Force
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 04:21 AM

I second this, and how!   Dirt Farmer is one of the absolute gems in my CD collection. I've loved the guy ever since Big Pink.

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: David C. Carter
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 04:46 AM

I have been listening to "Dirt Farmer"for some time now,and I have listened to him right from the get go,"Big Pink"etc.
I haven't heard "Electric Dirt"as yet,but I'm going to make it my n°1 priority.
I last saw him in a film"The Electric Mist,And The Confederate Army".
EErie,to say the least!
Thanks Will for putting that up.

Best wishes to him and his family.

David

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: GUEST,Phil B
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 05:38 AM

Tom Leary met him a while back on a gig in the states and says he was the most charming, self effacing man. Currently brushing up Acadian Driftwood for tonights show.

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 07:15 AM

On Facebook, Mudcatter Ron Olesko also linked a story that I too had read about Robbbie Robertson going to his bedside. Ron noted that it is never too late to mend a relationship. Ron is a better man than I am. I think Robbie Robertson is pond scum.

Levon Helm from the Hawks to his Rambles has been a wonderful and passionate musician.   His turns as an actor were pretty fair too. While he might be best remembered for Coal Miner's Daughter and The Right Stuff, he was absolutely in his element opposite Jane Fonda in an excellent movie, The Dollmaker.

Thanks Levon Helm......travel gently.


Spaw

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: GUEST,mando-player-91
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 09:13 AM

Sad News for sure!

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: fat B****rd
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 11:50 AM

Thank you, Will.
One of my very favourite drummers. His book 'This Wheel's oN Fire'is excellent. Levon pulls no punches but emerges as a good human being.
I am so sad to hear this news.

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: alanabit
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 12:01 PM

One can only wish him as painless a passing as is possible among the people whom he loves. I am sorry to hear he can not remain with us for much longer.

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: GUEST,John James
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 02:32 PM

Will Fly mentions Levon singing Golden Bird. Well just this morning I rec'd a message from Levon's neighbour in Woodstock & good pal Happy Traum who gave me the sad news of Levon's acute illness..and sent me a link to Levon singing this song. Happy Traum wrote the song a long time ago & recorded it with his brother Artie.
I remember Happy's mother's house in Woodstock painted blue, and down the road there was another house painted pink.

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: Wesley S
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 02:38 PM

In this world of cookie cutter singers a distinctive voice like Helms will be sorely missed. There was NO mistaking his voice when you heard it. There's a great documentary out about his barn dances. Catch it if you can.

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: maeve
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 03:03 PM

For Will Fly- http://www.myspace.com/levonhelm/music/songs/golden-bird-50670016 Thanks to John James for reminding me of it.

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 03:53 PM

Thursday afternoon -- Levon Helm, Drummer And Singer In The Band, Dies.

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: Levon Helm is passing
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 04:00 PM

Smithsonian "Levon Helm's Rocking Rambles"

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 04:03 PM

Rolling Stone

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Crowhugger
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 04:42 PM

I get more and more goosebumps as I remember another and another of his varied excellent work. Goodbye, Levon, and thank you.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 04:59 PM

Oh, man, this is so sad. Thanks for the links, folks.

May Peace be with him.

kat

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 05:08 PM

Levon Helm, Drummer in the Band, Dies at 71 - NY Times

Mr. Helm's drumming valued space over showiness. He gave his drums a muffled, bottom-heavy sound that placed them in the foundation of the arrangements, and his tom-toms were tuned so that their pitch would bend downward as the tone faded.

Mr. Helm didn't call attention to himself. Three bass-drum thumps at the beginning of one of the Band's anthems, "The Weight," were all that he needed to establish the song's gravity; in "The Shape I'm In," he juxtaposed Memphis soul, New Orleans rumba and military tattoo. His playing was sturdy and self-effacing, dedicated to serving the song. But it also had a loose, improvisational feel, tersely responsive to the music.

In the Band, lead vocals changed from song to song and within songs, and harmonies were elaborately communal. But particularly when lyrics turned to myths and tall tales of the American South — like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Ophelia" and "Rag Mama Rag" — the lead went to Mr. Helm, with his Arkansas twang and a voice that could sound desperate, ornery and amused at the same time.

In a 1984 , Mr. Helm described the "right ingredients" for his work in music and film as "life and breath, heart and soul."

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 06:42 PM

Very sad but I'm sure it is peace and no pain for him. I mentioned The Dollmaker and you can see a trailer from it and indeed the entire movie on youtube.....The Dollmaker.....you can see a bit of Levon there.

Good man gone.........left a great legacy.........


Spaw

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: voyager
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 06:48 PM

"Everything dies, baby that's a fact. Maybe everything that dies some day comes back".   The high-spirits have called for a roots-rock, country bandleader, mandolin player, drummer and singer.
Levon has answered the call. The show opens tonight.

voyager

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: GUEST,Phil B
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 09:10 PM

Very sad. Played Acadian Driftwood tonight at The Tivoli in Wimborne then encored with
'Shape I'm in'. Will be brushing up 'The Weight' for saturdays show. Levon Helm was a remarkable musician, one of the very best and a huge inspiration. R.I.P.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 03:47 AM

A great loss to the world of music. The most laid-back economical drummer ever, a fine singer and, by all accounts, a thoroughly nice man.

Let's all raise a glass to him tonight.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: JohnnyBeezer
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 05:52 AM

R.I.P Levon. You gave us all a great deal of pleasure.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 07:35 AM

Oh no! What a sweetie.

RIP <3+++.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: GUEST,bankley
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 09:17 AM

he gave us a lot

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: goatfell
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 09:36 AM

so sad R.I.P.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 12:14 PM

Oh,didn't he ramble.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 12:51 PM

Fresh Air is replaying a couple of interviews with him today. They are wonderful. The audio will be up on their web site later today or this weekend. The April 20, 2011 program should be reachable from this link. I'll post a direct link once it is available.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: G-Force
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 01:08 PM

Must watch my 'Last Waltz' DVD again. The man is just all over it.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Wesley S
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 01:27 PM

I was surprised that our local papers Obit never even mentioned his acting career. I think it was an associated press story.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Will Fly
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 01:30 PM

Oddly enough, Levon was very critical of the Last Waltz setup - I like to watch him talking about The Band album in the Classic Albums series.

But The Last Waltz - in spite of its faults - is still a great film.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: GUEST,Gern
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 05:36 PM

This one really hurts. I too am glad he had the chance for a second (or third or so) career and gained some of the praise he has deserved so long. The best sounding drum set I've ever heard, and a voice that gained body and depth as it aged. Levon Helm was a national resource of the best kind, and he happened to be sitting at the drums during a lot of the best music of our lives. I hope he is getting his reward, because he's earned it.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: open mike
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 05:54 PM

here is a link to Golden Bird...as mentioned above, a song written by Happy Traum, here sung by Levon Helm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkidg91kkOo and also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg_rl3TSKZI.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Wesley S
Date: 20 Apr 12 - 10:12 PM

The intro to "Chest Fever" played on the guitar. By the Levon Helm Band.

Chest Fever

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: buddhuu
Date: 21 Apr 12 - 10:58 AM

Levon - Total, total legend. Another who will be hugely missed. What a voice.

This is a busy month for departures: Levon, Barney McKenna, Bert Weedon, Jim Marshall... Bless 'em all.

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: voyager
Date: 25 Apr 12 - 05:37 PM

Let's get soulful, with Levon -

The Weight

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: GUEST,bankley
Date: 26 Apr 12 - 03:51 PM

ya man

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 26 Apr 12 - 06:14 PM

Musician's Mourners Come to Woodstock - NY Times

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: voyager
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 08:54 AM

Narrative Tribute to Levon Helm (Hudson Valley News)

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: voyager
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 08:58 AM

Here's the Levon Helm YouTube Clip (from the News Story Above)

Subject: RE: Obit: Levon Helm (April 19, 2012)
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 29 Apr 12 - 04:35 PM

Helm receives farewell with style, Drums, song, fans mark day - Woodstock's Times-Herald Record, online