Levon Helm died today.

Highway-Chile

This is a very sad day. Levon finally succumbed to the cancer. What a great musician, what an amazing voice, superb drummer, terrific songwriter, performer, producer etc etc and all around good guy.

Haul out your Band albums folks and give them a whirl. Or if you are into the blues.....check out an album he played drums on as well as recorded and produced, at his studio in Woodstock NY called "The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album" Absolutely terrific.

This was a bad day.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/arts/music/levon-helm-drummer-and-singer-dies-at-71.html

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/04/18/arts/20120418HELM.html

RIP Levon.

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aubs1

Most of what I know about Levon are his days with "The Band" .......
I still have two of their albums, "Stage Fright" and "The Last Waltz" .... excellent stuff! RIP Levon.

Some useless info .......South African, (Durbanite) and ex Flames, ex Beach Boys guitarist and vocalist Blondie Chaplin did a stint with The Band (replacing some of Richard Manuel's vocals and playing guitar) and recorded with Rick Danko (Cryin Heart Blues, 2005). He currently tours with The Rolling Stones.

Loved this song ......... rehearsing .....

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Jack-Flash-Jr

The vox everyone will know...

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That barn of his will be missed...

Bob-Dubery

He turned out to be a pretty good drummer considering that he started out as a guitar player.

The Band had a great vocal blend, and all three main vocalists are gone now. There was talk for many years about bad blood between Helm and Robertson, but it seems that biographers may have made more of it than there really was, and in any event Robertson and Helm got together again not so long ago and any bygones were definitely bygones thereafter.

Levon's daughter, Amy, is a fine singer. She married a singing drummer! Amy and husband Tony Leone are both involved with Olabelle, a gospelly, folky rock group with a great rootsy sound and a big vocal punch.

Riaan-Combrink

Levon was one of my favourite vocalists, and a great drummer.

Here's Bob Dylan's thoughts on his passing:
http://www.bobdylan.com/us/news/response-levon%E2%80%99s-passing

And Robbie Robertson reconciled with him in this last week:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/apr/19/robbie-robertson-levon-helm?newsfeed=true

Rip, Levon...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/arts/music/levon-helm-drummer-and-singer-dies-at-71.html?_r=1