Do You Like American Music?

I had never, as far as I can remember, ever read about or heard of ROBBIE ROBERTSON, until Wednesday, August 9, 2023, when I was moving from station to station on my radio dial and heard someone say that the band’s leader had died. That caught my attention, because my first question was, “What band? Why did the speaker not tell its name if the ‘leader’ was so important or great?”

Duh! I felt fairly ignorant when I did a little research and found out the speaker spoke of THE BAND (rang a bell with song memories), which was a Canadian- American Rock Band, established in 1967 in Ontario, and made up of folks I still do not recognize by name—Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, and Garth Hudson. Helm was the only American!

Earlier (late ‘50s/early ‘60s), the group had “worked” as The Hawks and was mainly a band that “backed” other more noted/famous singers—so, they were listed as a “backing” band! When they “backed” Bob Dylan, they gained instant recognition and respect, and his style and influence in many ways stayed with them.

When they left Dylan and became “THE BAND,” the group performed and released quite a few successful records and their debut album, which brought them acclaim and quick success. The album’s name is MUSIC FROM BIG PINK, and that album’s music has continued to influence writers and musicians ever since. The “Big Pink” was/ is the name of the old house near Woodstock, New York, where Band members gathered and “came and went.”

And guess what? I still have not told you anything that meant very much to me! But get ready for the next paragraph…..

“2nd Most Influential record in the history of rockand- roll”—That is how Music From Big Pink has been noted in many writings since that time, and supposedly it brought a mixture of “country” and “soul” and brought “cred” to the group from singers/musicians of R&B, jazz, rock, folk, western, cross-over, and “you name it!” And guess some of the important/popular songs of this “country soul.”

“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”…..“The Weight”…...“Up On Cripple Creek” You may not believe this or agree with it, but THE BAND and its MUSIC has been described as “one of the most popular and influential rock groups of all time,” and many critics view their music and influence as seriously as that of the “BEATLES” and the “STONES.”

They are in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame, among many, many other accolades and awards…… and…..

…..ROBBIE ROBERTSON was probably the most important of the group as its SONG WRITER!

The final concert of the original five members was in November of 1976, and scenes from this concert/ event were later released as Director Martin Scorsese’s concert film called, THE LAST WALTZ, in 1978. Robertson continued to help Scorsese with projects from this time on and also supposedly had influence on Elton John and The Grateful Dead. The group went their own separate ways, reuniting briefly later without Robertson, who had gone on his own ways as a producer and composer. He has now passed on at the age of 80 after a long illness.

10 top recordings through the years, associated with Robbie Robertson, are the following: Who Do You Love—’63; Like a Rolling Stone—’66; The Weight—’68; This Wheel’s On Fire—’68; King Harvest (Has Surely Come)—’69; Ophelia (Northern Lights)—’75; Up On Cripple Creek—’78; Fallen Angel—’87; Breakin’ The Rules—’91; Ghost Dance—‘94 Now, maybe you understand why I read “final notices”—HISTORY, and some answers to the question: “Why are things today how they are?”