levon helm

Levon Helm performing in 2004 on the Village Green in Woodstock, New York. Background information Birth name Mark Lavon Helm Born May 26, 1940 (1940-05-26) (age 68)

Marvell, Arkansas Genre(s) Rock and roll, rhythm and blues, rock, blues, country, folk Occupation(s) Singer, drummer, songwriter, producer, actor Instrument(s) Vocals, drums, mandolin, guitar, bass, harmonica Years active 1957-present Label(s) Capitol, Mobile Fidelity, MCA, Breeze Hill, Levon Helm Studios, ABC Associated acts The Band, Levon Helm's Ramble on the Road, Levon Helm and The RCO All-Stars, Levon Helm and the Hawks, Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, the Levon Helm Band, Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks. Website www.levonhelm.com

Mark Lavon Helm (born May 26, 1940), better known as Levon Helm, is an American rock musician and actor most famous as the drummer (and often vocalist) for the rock group The Band. Helm is known for his deeply soulful, country-style voice, and powerful drumming style highlighted on many of the The Band's recordings, such as "The Weight", "Up on Cripple Creek", "Ophelia" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". His 2007 comeback album Dirt Farmer earned the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in February 2008, and in November of that year, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #91 in the list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.[1] Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early years 1.2 The Band 1.3 As solo artist, The Band reunited 1.4 Acting 1.5 The Midnight Ramble 1.6 Dirt Farmer and After 2 Tributes 3 References 4 External links //

Biography

Early years

Helm was born in Marvell, Arkansas, and grew up in Turkey Scratch, a hamlet west of Helena, Arkansas, the son of Nell and Diamond Helm who were cotton farmers and also great lovers of music who encouraged their children to play and sing. Young Lavon (as he was christened) began playing the guitar at the age of eight and also played drums during his formative years. He saw Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys at the age of six and decided right then to become a musician.

Arkansas in the 1940's and 50's was at the confluence of a variety of musical styles -- blues, country and R&B -- that later became know as rock and roll. Helm was influenced by all these styles listening to the Grand Ole Opry and R&B on radio station WLAC out of Nashville, Tennessee. He also saw travelling shows such as F.S. Walcott's Rabbit's Foot Minstrels that featured top African-American artists of the time.

Another early influence on Helm was the work of blues harmonica, guitarist and singer Sonny Boy Williamson II aka Rice Miller who played blues and early R&B on the King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena and performed regularly in Marvell with blues guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood. In his 1993 autobiography, This Wheel's on Fire - Levon Helm and the Story of The Band, Helm describes watching Williamson's drummer, James "Peck" Curtis intently during a live performance in the early-1950's