Levon
From Down in the Delta to the Birth of The Band and Beyond
Will be published approx. on 25. August 2020
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-1-63576-704-9 (ISBN)
Description
A dazzling, epic biography of Levon Helm--the beloved, legendary drummer and singer of the Band.
He sang the anthems of a generation: "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and "Life Is a Carnival." Levon Helm's story--told here through sweeping research and interviews with close friends and fellow musicians--is the rollicking story of American popular music itself.
In the Arkansas Delta, a young Levon witnessed "blues, country, and gospel hit in a head-on collision," as he put it. The result was rock 'n' roll. As a teenager, he joined the raucous Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, then helped merge a hard-driving electric sound with Bob Dylan's folk roots, and revolutionized American rock with the Band. Helm not only provided perfect "in the pocket" rhythm and unforgettable vocals, he was the Band's soul.
Levon traces a rebellious life on the road, from being booed with Bob Dylan to the creative cauldron of Big Pink, the Woodstock Festival, world tours, The Last Waltz, and beyond with the man Dylan called "one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation."
Author Sandra B. Tooze digs deep into what Helm saw as a devastating betrayal by his closest friend, Band guitarist Robbie Robertson--and Levon's career collapse, his near bankruptcy, and the loss of his voice due to throat cancer in 1997. Yet Helm found success in an acting career that included roles in Coal Miner's Daughter and The Right Stuff. Regaining his singing voice, he made his last decade a triumph, opening his barn to the Midnight Rambles and earning three Grammys. Cancer finally claimed his life in 2012.
Levon is a penetrating, skillfully told tale of a music legend from Southern cotton fields to global limelight.
He sang the anthems of a generation: "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and "Life Is a Carnival." Levon Helm's story--told here through sweeping research and interviews with close friends and fellow musicians--is the rollicking story of American popular music itself.
In the Arkansas Delta, a young Levon witnessed "blues, country, and gospel hit in a head-on collision," as he put it. The result was rock 'n' roll. As a teenager, he joined the raucous Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, then helped merge a hard-driving electric sound with Bob Dylan's folk roots, and revolutionized American rock with the Band. Helm not only provided perfect "in the pocket" rhythm and unforgettable vocals, he was the Band's soul.
Levon traces a rebellious life on the road, from being booed with Bob Dylan to the creative cauldron of Big Pink, the Woodstock Festival, world tours, The Last Waltz, and beyond with the man Dylan called "one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation."
Author Sandra B. Tooze digs deep into what Helm saw as a devastating betrayal by his closest friend, Band guitarist Robbie Robertson--and Levon's career collapse, his near bankruptcy, and the loss of his voice due to throat cancer in 1997. Yet Helm found success in an acting career that included roles in Coal Miner's Daughter and The Right Stuff. Regaining his singing voice, he made his last decade a triumph, opening his barn to the Midnight Rambles and earning three Grammys. Cancer finally claimed his life in 2012.
Levon is a penetrating, skillfully told tale of a music legend from Southern cotton fields to global limelight.
Reviews / Votes
"Levon Helm put his heart and soul into every beat he played, every song he sang. He brought joy to people all over the world by sharing the unique blend of musical styles he grew up with in the Arkansas Delta. Along the way, he became a good actor, too! I'm glad his story is getting the telling it deserves."-Former President Bill Clinton
"I was honored to have performed with Levon Helm, a master musician who tapped into an astonishing array of genres within American music and possessed one of its greatest voices. In this captivating biography, Sandra B. Tooze channels the creativity, drive, and endurance of this iconic artist. Filled with fresh insights and anecdotes, Levon is a fascinating exploration of the man, his music, and his life."
-Vince Gill, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician
"This is a book about one of the great characters I have ever been privileged to know. Levon Helm was a brilliant actor, a wildly gifted musician, a hilarious and charming raconteur, and, like me, an Arkansan with a mama named Nell. Levon beautifully celebrates his exuberant and remarkable life."
-Mary Steenburgen, Academy Award-winning actress
"All true fans of Americana know that the late Levon Helm was a masterful drummer and one of our most distinctive singers. But author Sandra B. Tooze offers a brilliant road map covering how he became one of the towering figures in twentieth-century music. Ride shotgun as she follows Helm's wild exploits-from early sixties cult hero with the Hawks to playing stadiums with Bob Dylan and the Band. This is the story of rock and roll."
-Brad Tolinski, author of Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar and Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page "Levon Helm put his heart and soul into every beat he played, every song he sang. He brought joy to people all over the world by sharing the unique blend of musical styles he grew up with in the Arkansas Delta. Along the way, he became a good actor, too! I'm glad his story is getting the telling it deserves."
-Former President Bill Clinton
"I was honored to have performed with Levon Helm, a master musician who tapped into an astonishing array of genres within American music and possessed one of its greatest voices. In this captivating biography, Sandra B. Tooze channels the creativity, drive, and endurance of this iconic artist. Filled with fresh insights and anecdotes, Levon is a fascinating exploration of the man, his music, and his life."
-Vince Gill, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician
"This is a book about one of the great characters I have ever been privileged to know. Levon Helm was a brilliant actor, a wildly gifted musician, a hilarious and charming raconteur, and, like me, an Arkansan with a mama named Nell. Levon beautifully celebrates his exuberant and remarkable life."
-Mary Steenburgen, Academy Award-winning actress
"All true fans of Americana know that the late Levon Helm was a masterful drummer and one of our most distinctive singers. But author Sandra B. Tooze offers a brilliant road map covering how he became one of the towering figures in twentieth-century music. Ride shotgun as she follows Helm's wild exploits-from early sixties cult hero with the Hawks to playing stadiums with Bob Dylan and the Band. This is the story of rock and roll."
-Brad Tolinski, author of Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar and Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page "Levon Helm put his heart and soul into every beat he played, every song he sang. He brought joy to people all over the world by sharing the unique blend of musical styles he grew up with in the Arkansas Delta. Along the way, he became a good actor, too! I'm glad his story is getting the telling it deserves."
-Former President Bill Clinton
"I was honored to have performed with Levon Helm, a master musician who tapped into an astonishing array of genres within American music and possessed one of its greatest voices. In this captivating biography, Sandra B. Tooze channels the creativity, drive, and endurance of this iconic artist. Filled with fresh insights and anecdotes, Levon is a fascinating exploration of the man, his music, and his life."
-Vince Gill, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician
"This is a book about one of the great characters I have ever been privileged to know. Levon Helm was a brilliant actor, a wildly gifted musician, a hilarious and charming raconteur, and, like me, an Arkansan with a mama named Nell. Levon beautifully celebrates his exuberant and remarkable life."
-Mary Steenburgen, Academy Award-winning actress
"All true fans of Americana know that the late Levon Helm was a masterful drummer and one of our most distinctive singers. But author Sandra B. Tooze offers a brilliant road map covering how he became one of the towering figures in twentieth-century music. Ride shotgun as she follows Helm's wild exploits-from early sixties cult hero with the Hawks to playing stadiums with Bob Dylan and the Band. This is the story of rock and roll."
-Brad Tolinski, author of Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar and Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page "Levon Helm put his heart and soul into every beat he played, every song he sang. He brought joy to people all over the world by sharing the unique blend of musical styles he grew up with in the Arkansas Delta. Along the way, he became a good actor, too! I'm glad his story is getting the telling it deserves."
-Former President Bill Clinton
"I was honored to have performed with Levon Helm, a master musician who tapped into an astonishing array of genres within American music and possessed one of its greatest voices. In this captivating biography, Sandra B. Tooze channels the creativity, drive, and endurance of this iconic artist. Filled with fresh insights and anecdotes, Levon is a fascinating exploration of the man, his music, and his life."
-Vince Gill, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician
"This is a book about one of the great characters I have ever been privileged to know. Levon Helm was a brilliant actor, a wildly gifted musician, a hilarious and charming raconteur, and, like me, an Arkansan with a mama named Nell. Levon beautifully celebrates his exuberant and remarkable life."
-Mary Steenburgen, Academy Award-winning actress
"All true fans of Americana know that the late Levon Helm was a masterful drummer and one of our most distinctive singers. But author Sandra B. Tooze offers a brilliant road map covering how he became one of the towering figures in twentieth-century music. Ride shotgun as she follows Helm's wild exploits-from early sixties cult hero with the Hawks to playing stadiums with Bob Dylan and the Band. This is the story of rock and roll."
-Brad Tolinski, author of Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar and Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
With printed dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
700 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63576-704-9 (9781635767049)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2021
Diversion Books
€18.18
Available for download
Person
Sandra B. Tooze garnered world-wide acclaim for her book Muddy Waters: Mojo Man. Eric Clapton wrote the foreword, and Levon Helm and Mick Jagger both endorsed it with back-cover quotes. The reviewer for America's preeminent blues magazine, Living Blues, called it a "first rate biography. . . . An illumination and a joy, it deserves a place on our shelves as a loving and earnest tribute to one of the greats of American music." On Britain's BBC radio, her book was described as "terrific. . . . and absolutely great." And in the UK's premier music magazine, Mojo, it was praised as "a vivid, brilliantly researched portrait." She currently resides in British Columbia, Canada.