Levon Helm

The best member of The Band is getting some good pub surrounding his new album. Viz.

From Midnight Rambler by Clark Hollis.

"The commonly held perception of The Band is that they were muso types uninterested in rock & roll debauchery. This is a quarter-truth, at best. Says Ronnie Hawkins: 'Levon's got an extra chromosone or something. Samson couldn't have screwed that many girls in one day.' Helm slyly grins: 'We were always ready to make love and not war.'"

"The movie, Helm believes, is a showcase for the guitarist, not The Band. 'It's not what The Band is or was,' Helm spits. 'We had a lead singer named Richard Manuel. And, if you believe The Last Waltz, he's the drunk that shows up about halfway through for about two minutes.'"

Listen to tracks from Dirt Farmer and Helm's interview on Fresh Air here.

I read somewhere that his daughter's favorite member of The Band was Rick Danko. As a little girl, she thought it was Danko's band, and he was the lead singer. I'll admit then that Danko is almost as equally stupendous. Elvis Costello claimed that his vocal style was a big influence.



Levon Helm's website. I might link some Helm songs tomorrow.