http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5476&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rssAs the drummer of The Band -- and Dylan's first electric band -- Levon Helm played a significant role in American rock history. But too often overlooked is Helm's contribution as a songwriter and singer, which has yielded canonical slices of Americana like "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Helm was born in Marvell, AK, where he started playing guitar along to Nashville country station WLAC as a boy. He moved to Memphis as a young man where he was enlisted as the drummer of The Hawks, the backing group of early rock singer Ronnie Hawkins. Hawkins and Helm moved to Toronto where they recruited the rest of what would be The Band. The Band backed Dylan in the mid-60s, though Helm's time with Dylan was short; the negative reaction to Dylan's electric venture disheartened Helm so much that he quit the band and moved back to Arkansas, where he worked on an oil rig. When he rejoined The Band some years later, they were working on their masterpiece, <i>Music From Big Pink</i>, a record on which Helm's drumming, singing and (often uncredited) songwriting was essential. After the group disbanded in 1976, Helm cultivated an acting career, earning his biggest role in <i>Cole Miner's Daughter</i>, and continued playing with sundry Band-related projects. Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer in the '90s, though he continued performing with his daughter, Amy, and hosting a famous "Midnight Ramble" series of concerts in his Woodstock barn. After struggling with cancer for a number of years, Helm was able to sing again in the early '00s. He released <i>Dirt Farmer</i>, his first solo record in some 25 years, in 2007. - Nate CavalieriAmericanaen720Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:26:20 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5476&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss As the drummer of The Band -- and Dylan's first electric band -- Levon Helm played a significant role in American rock history. But too often overlooked is Helm's contribution as a songwriter and singer, which has yielded canonical slices of Americana like "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." Helm was born in Marvell, AK, where he started playing guitar along to Nashville country station WLAC as a boy. He moved to Memphis as a young man where he was enlisted as the drummer of The Hawks, the backing group of early rock singer Ronnie Hawkins. Hawkins and Helm moved to Toronto where they recruited the rest of what would be The Band. The Band backed Dylan in the mid-60s, though Helm's time with Dylan was short; the negative reaction to Dylan's electric venture disheartened Helm so much that he quit the band and moved back to Arkansas, where he worked on an oil rig. When he rejoined The Band some years later, they were working on their masterpiece, <i>Music From Big Pink</i>, a record on which Helm's drumming, singing and (often uncredited) songwriting was essential. After the group disbanded in 1976, Helm cultivated an acting career, earning his biggest role in <i>Cole Miner's Daughter</i>, and continued playing with sundry Band-related projects. Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer in the '90s, though he continued performing with his daughter, Amy, and hosting a famous "Midnight Ramble" series of concerts in his Woodstock barn. After struggling with cancer for a number of years, Helm was able to sing again in the early '00s. He released <i>Dirt Farmer</i>, his first solo record in some 25 years, in 2007. - Nate Cavalieri http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.30263225&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:05:19 -0700 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 30263225 ply.30263225 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.30263225&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.29988386&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:03:10 -0800 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 29988386 ply.29988386 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.29988386&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.29345227&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Jazz Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:23:22 -0700 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 29345227 ply.29345227 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.29345227&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28972205&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:06:39 -0700 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 28972205 ply.28972205 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28972205&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28470409&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:48:44 -0800 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 28470409 ply.28470409 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28470409&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.24914071&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Jazz Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:23:24 -0700 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 24914071 ply.24914071 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.24914071&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.21631800&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:26:50 -0700 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 21631800 ply.21631800 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.21631800&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.18781179&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:48:17 -0700 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 18781179 ply.18781179 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.18781179&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.17563086&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Tue, 3 Nov 2009 11:24:31 -0800 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 17563086 ply.17563086 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.17563086&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10369113&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Sat, 6 Sep 2008 08:15:28 -0700 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 10369113 ply.10369113 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.10369113&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.8635001&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss Soul/R&B Mon, 5 Oct 2009 10:16:18 -0700 Playlists Featuring Levon Helm on Rhapsody Online 8635001 ply.8635001 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.8635001&variant=play&rws=%2Flevon-helm%2Fplaylists.rss