Robbie Robertson, guitarist of The Band passed away
Robbie Robertson, guitarist of The Band has died at the age of 80. As the main character of this Canadian-American mixed group, Robertson is the creator of iconic The Band songs such as The Weight, The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down, and Up On Cripple Creek.
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| Robbie Robertson (Photo: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images) |
His manager revealed Robertson breathed his last amid his family, following a "long illness".
Robbie Robertson has worked with Bob Dylan
Before being involved with The Band, Robertson had been involved with other great figures, such as Bob Dylan, who had toured and recorded the album Blonde on Blonde. Born on July 5, 1943, in Toronto, Canada, with Mohawk and Jewish roots, Robertson worked at traveling carnivals in his early teens, before joining and forming various bands.
"The first time I started playing guitar was so long that I can't remember when it started," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1968. "I guess I'm as interested in rock and roll music as most other people."
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He joined the supporting band of Ronnie Hawkins, a rockabilly star when he was 16. There, he met fellow musicians such as Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Levon Helm.
The group forged a strong bond. In the mid-1960s they became Bob Dylan's first controversial touring support band to use electric instruments. They also played with Dylan on basement tapes that are now widely circulated illegally.
After going through several name changes, these musicians eventually became known as The Band. Robertson's historic compositions have a clever touch in portraying the image of America and the people who give color to the country, especially with a focus on the American South.
The Weight song often appears on the list of the best songs of all time. As a folk song with touches of country and gospel, and incorporating allusions from the Bible, it is considered a classic in the legacy of American songs.
The group performed at the Woodstock festival and released some albums, including Music from Big Pink, The Band, and Cahoots.
The band broke up in 1976 with a farewell concert in San Francisco. The concert was immortalized in film form by director Martin Scorsese under the title "The Last Waltz."
The film, which was released in theaters in 1978, has been known as a pioneering rock documentary that received high praise from critics. The film also marked the beginning of a long-term partnership between Robertson and Scorsese, with the guitarist serving as music supervisor on some of Scorsese's films, including Casino and Gangs of New York.
At the time of his death, Robertson was busy working on a sequel to his memoir Testimony. He also completed the music for Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, which is set to be released this fall.
Scorsese, who called Robertson a big figure. "Long before we met, his music had played a central role in my life – and so had millions of people around the world. The Band's music, and Robbie's solos, feel like they come from the deepest place on the continent, elevating his traditions, tragedies, and happiness," Scorsese said.
Robertson did not tour after The Last Waltz performance. But he went on to release some solo albums in 1987, Robbie Robertson. He remains a respected figure in the American rock and folk music scene, both for his guitar-playing skills and his poetry literature.
"I thought of a few words, then a few more came," he told Rolling Stone in 1969 when asked about how he wrote the classic song "The Weight." "And over time, I managed to write this song," Robertson continued. "We just felt that this was a simple song, and when we tried it, we recorded it three or four times." "We don't even know if we will use it."