Levon Helm 2008
March 07, 2008 — March 08, 2008 at Beacon Theatre
In the waning days of the previous century, Levon Helm hit a detour on the Endless Highway, and it led to 40 miles of bad road. The hard times started without warning for the legendary drummer/singer/heartbeat of The Band, solo artist, author and actor, as his beloved barn studio in Woodstock, NY was ravaged by fire. They further intensified in 1998, when Helm underwent surgery for throat cancer, followed by 28 radiation treatments, which threatened to silence his one-of-a-kind voice for good. A year later, he lost his beloved bandmate Rick Danko.
Considering the heartache, pain and anxiety he went through, it's understandable that Levon views these last few years as an "age of miracles." Three or four years ago, he regained the use of his singing voice, and gingerly at first, he began to test it out during shows by his informal group the Barn Burners. In 2004, he launched the Midnight Ramble Sessions, which took place at the rebuilt Levon Helm Studios. With his confidence restored, it was only a matter of time before Levon would employ his studio for its original purpose. His vocalist/musician daughter Amy provided the initial impetus.
"Amy encouraged me to go all the way back and try to record some of the family songs from home that we always loved best," Levon wrote in his liner notes. That simple notion led to the undertaking that now bears the name Dirt Farmer, fittingly dedicated to his parents, Nell and Diamond Helm, who taught the youngster several of the songs he revisits on Dirt Farmer. This timeless album is Levon's first solo studio recording in a quarter century.
