Levon Helm sings "I don't want to hang up my rock and roll shoes."

By Jack Brummet, Music Editor

As Levon Helm, one of our favorite roots rock musicians of all time, begins to make his passage to that great bandstand in the sky, this seems like a good song to listen to as you send him your blessings.



And their final song on stage, sung by Levon and the late great Rick Danko:

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Send good thoughts to the American music icon Levon Helm

By Mona Goldwater, Jack Brummet, and Pablo Fanque

ATIT sends love and prayers to Levon Helm, a great drummer, singer, mandolin player, writer, and spirit, whose music deeply moved us and carried us through many happy and not so happy times, and who helped transform our music, all for the good. 


From Levonhelm.com:

"Dear Friends, 


"Levon is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey. 


"Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration... he has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage...


"We appreciate all the love and support and concern. 


"From his daughter Amy, and wife Sandy" 

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The Band's final song: Dont Do It - the encore at their final performance

As their final song, after a very long concert with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neils Young and Diamond, Emmy Lou Harris, The Staples, Muddy Waters, and many more, The Band played their great cover of Marvin Gaye's Don't Do it, albeit in a shortened version. They'd been on stage for many hours. Rick Danko and Richard Manuel both died tragically years later. And the rest of them are still plugging along, but no one ever came close to the transcendent heights The Band achieved. The movie this clip is from, Scorsese's Last Waltz engendered a lot of hostility from the Band members (except Robbie Robertson). Rick Danko told a reporter that they usually turned Robertson's mike way down--because he couldn't sing. . .something easily verified by a listen to his solo recordings.

Happy Thanksgiving -- The Band cover Marvin Gaye's Don't Do It at their final show

31 years ago this Thanksgiving, The Band played the last time on stage. I always think about the band on Thanksgiving because of that show and the movie.

Bill Graham put the show together (along with Thanksgiving dinner for the attendees). They brought along a few friends like Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Emmy Lou Harris, Neil Diamond, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, and others. Don't Do It was their encore. Martin Scorsese used it over the opening credits of the film The Last Waltz released in 1977. It is a great movie of an epic event by a great band (R.I.P. Rick Danko and Richard Manuel). Buy the DVD--on sale at Amazon for a paltry $7.99!


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