“It’s not like it used to be.” – Robbie Robertson
Levon Helm, the legendary singer and drummer of The Band, died Thursday at the age of 71 after a decade-long battle with cancer. Helm sang lead vocals on some of the most epic, beautiful, timeless rock and roll songs of all time, including: ”The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “Ophelia.” He was a superb, energetic, eclectic drummer and his voice filled America with sweet country soul from his home in Arkansas all the way to his Band-bandmates’ home in Ontario, Canada. When you listen to Helm’s voice and The Band’s music, you can’t help but feel good. Really good. In Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, we see and hear Helm at his finest. As my friend Scott put it: In The Last Waltz, Helm sings “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” like its the last song he’ll ever sing. Thankfully, he lived a full life and his music, passed on from my Dad’s generation, to mine, and to the next, will live on forever. Thank you, Levon Helm. We will miss you.