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THE DEATH OF LEVON HELM

So sorry to learn of the death today of Levon Helm. The internet is awash with tributes, and quite rightly. I hope to add my own in a couple of days. I also hope we hear from Bob Dylan about it. He has sometimes paid fulsome homage to newly deceased musicians; not all had, in addition to their fine musicianship, as much human decency as Levon Helm.

5 comments:

  1. McHenry Boatride20 April, 2012

    Sad news indeed. I was lucky enough to attend one of Levon's Midnight Rambles at his home in Woodstock a few years back. It was an unforgetable experience to see and hear him recreating the days of The Band.

    There is a brief tribute on bobdylan.com which I assume comes from Bob himself.

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  2. Elmer Gantry20 April, 2012

    Michael

    Guess you have already seen this:

    http://www.jambands.com/news/2012/04/20/bob-dylan-pays-tribute-to-levon-helm

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  3. "Whispering Pines"...I know that was Manuel and Robertson's baby (well, mainly Manuel's), but if that call and response between Manuel and Helm doesn't lift a person up to the skies. The song itself is enough to make you weep, even if you hadn't read a newspaper this morning.

    He had such a voice...such a voice. It's hard to imagine America without that voice having existed in it. It was that evocative to me. I can't say I've heard much of his recent work, but I considered the world a better place just knowing he was still living and breathing and smiling (yes, and drumming) in it.

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  4. Who the blazes are you to pontificate on the decency of musicians (who aren't him)?

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  5. One part of one sentence is hardly "pontificating"; and surely it's not so very contentious to say that some people have more human decency than others? Ah, but "Who the blazes...?": I do like that So sweetly old-fashioned.

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