{"product_id":"levon-from-down-in-the-delta-to-the-birth-of-the-band-and-beyond-9781635767049","title":"Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of the Band and Beyond","description":"\u003cb\u003eA dazzling, epic biography of Levon Helm--the beloved, legendary drummer and singer of the Band.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e He sang the anthems of a generation: \"The Weight,\" \"Up on Cripple Creek,\" and \"Life Is a Carnival.\" Levon Helm's story--told here through sweeping research and interviews with close friends and fellow musicians--is the rollicking story of American popular music itself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the Arkansas Delta, a young Levon witnessed \"blues, country, and gospel hit in a head-on collision,\" as he put it. The result was rock 'n' roll. As a teenager, he joined the raucous Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, then helped merge a hard-driving electric sound with Bob Dylan's folk roots, and revolutionized American rock with the Band. Helm not only provided perfect \"in the pocket\" rhythm and unforgettable vocals, he was the Band's soul. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eLevon\u003c\/i\u003e traces a rebellious life on the road, from being booed with Bob Dylan to the creative cauldron of Big Pink, the Woodstock Festival, world tours, \u003ci\u003eThe Last Waltz\u003c\/i\u003e, and beyond with the man Dylan called \"one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Author Sandra B. Tooze digs deep into what Helm saw as a devastating betrayal by his closest friend, Band guitarist Robbie Robertson--and Levon's career collapse, his near bankruptcy, and the loss of his voice due to throat cancer in 1997. Yet Helm found success in an acting career that included roles in \u003ci\u003eCoal Miner's Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Right Stuff\u003c\/i\u003e. Regaining his singing voice, he made his last decade a triumph, opening his barn to the Midnight Rambles and earning three Grammys. Cancer finally claimed his life in 2012. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eLevon\u003c\/i\u003e is a penetrating, skillfully told tale of a music legend from Southern cotton fields to global limelight. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTooze, Sandra B.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eSandra B. Tooze\u003c\/b\u003e garnered world-wide acclaim for her book \u003ci\u003eMuddy Waters: Mojo Man\u003c\/i\u003e. Eric Clapton wrote the foreword, and Levon Helm and Mick Jagger both endorsed it with back-cover quotes. The reviewer for America's preeminent blues magazine, \u003ci\u003eLiving Blues\u003c\/i\u003e, called it a \"first rate biography. . . . An illumination and a joy, it deserves a place on our shelves as a loving and earnest tribute to one of the greats of American music.\" On Britain's BBC radio, her book was described as \"terrific. . . . and absolutely great.\" And in the UK's premier music magazine, \u003ci\u003eMojo\u003c\/i\u003e, it was praised as \"a vivid, brilliantly researched portrait.\" She currently resides in British Columbia, Canada.","brand":"Diversion Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50506055713042,"sku":"9781635767049","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2d0f1702-5931-49ac-8167-a572b371526a.jpg?v=1730845497","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/levon-from-down-in-the-delta-to-the-birth-of-the-band-and-beyond-9781635767049","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}