Levon Helm

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Lore & Background

By the mid-1960s, Bob Dylan asked the Hawks to be his backing band as he moved toward performing electric rock music. The transition proved difficult for Helm; disheartened by fans' negative response to Dylan's new sound, he left the group in the autumn of 1965. During this two-year layoff, he was replaced by a range of touring drummers, most notably Mickey Jones, while Richard Manuel began to double on the instrument. Helm spent time with his family in Arkansas but also undertook sojourns to Los Angeles, where he experimented with LSD and performed with Bobby Keys, and to Memphis and New Orleans, where he worked on a nearby oil platform. In the autumn of 1967, after what would later be called "the Summer of Love," he returned to the group.

In Their Own Story

After returning in late 1967, the Hawks followed Dylan back to the U.S., remaining under salary and settling near his home in Woodstock, New York. The band recorded a large number of demonstration and practice tapes in nearby West Saugerties, playing almost daily with Dylan. This period occurred after Dylan had completely withdrawn from public life following a motorcycle accident in July 1966. These recordings were widely bootlegged and were partially released officially in 1975 as The Basement Tapes. The songs and themes developed during this time played a crucial role in the group's future direction and style, with Danko and Manuel also sharing writing credits with Dylan on a few songs.

Reader's Guide

Helm rejoin the group after his layoff found them performing almost daily with Dylan near Woodstock following the singer's July 1966 motorcycle accident. While the band recorded many tapes in West Saugerties that became The Basement Tapes, Helm remained an integral part of this creative period alongside Danko and Manuel. He was primarily a drummer and vocalist but also played mandolin, guitar, or bass guitar on occasion when other members switched instruments. His voice, known for its deeply soulful, country-accented quality, became central to the group's sound as they transitioned from backing Dylan to forming The Band. Helm was the only American member of this lineup, which included Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson.

Did You Know?

• Helm left Bob Dylan's touring group in the autumn of 1965 due to fans' negative response to electric rock, taking a two-year layoff.
• During his layoff, Helm experimented with LSD in Los Angeles and worked on an oil platform near Memphis and New Orleans.
• After returning in late 1967, the group played almost daily with Dylan in West Saugerties, NY, recording what became The Basement Tapes.
• Helm was the only American member of the lineup that became The Band; all other members were Canadian.
• In his autobiography, Helm reports that bandmates started calling him "Levon" because they had difficulty pronouncing "Lavon."