Published on April 19th, 2012 | by James Johnson
0Legendary Drummer Levon Helm Dead At 71
Levon Helm, drummer of The Band has passed away at the age of 71. Helm is best known for his hitsĀ “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “The Weight” and “Up on Cripple Creek,”
Formed in 1957 when Helm, just out of high school, joined rocker Ronnie Hawkins for a tour of Canada the group would go on to add several more musicians before touring around the Canada and the South non-stop for several years. Eventually Levon and his group would joint up with Bob Dylan and change their name to The Band after people started calling them by that name.
The Band fused rock, blues and folk together into an unmistakable sound. While The Band was best known for its Arkansas twang sound only Levon Helm was actually American with the rest of the men claiming Canadian citizenship.
In celebration of his life here’s The Band performing their hit song “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”
Our condolences go out to Levon Helm’s family.