Levon Helm Tickets

Levon Helm - Resources

• Official Levon Helm Website

About Levon Helm

Mark Lavon Helm, who is much better known as Levon Helm, drummer of The Band, was born on May 26, 1940, in Elaine, Arkansas. He was the second of four children born to Nell and Diamond Helm, who sometimes would entertain as a musician. As a family, the Helms loved music and helped Levon Helm begin to develop his interest in music. Now a little bit older, and with a little raspier voice, Levon Helm is touring around the country to the delight of his fans from his over four decades in the industry. Tickets to see him live won't last long.

With influences like Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, Levon Helm was ready to take on the world as a musician. After performing with his own high school band, in 1957 he met Ronnie Hawkins, a singer who was looking for musicians to tour Canada. They recruited talented musicians from across Canada and would perform until midnight, followed by rehearsals until the early morning hours. Over time the members of The Hawks (Helm, Richard Manual, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson) became tired of Hawkins' routine and broke away to do their own thing. They called themselves Levon and The Hawks and eventually became known simply as The Band. Over a thirty-year period, Levon Helm and the different members of The Band released twelve albums.

Levon Helm has had many different bands and projects over his musical career. His country-style voice and powerful drumming made him a standout no matter what musical project he was working on. In 1996, Levon was diagnosed with throat cancer, which would silence his powerful voice. Over time his voice has gotten stronger, and while it is not the same as it was during his time with The Band, it still has the unique sound that made Levon Helm great. In 2007, he released the album Dirt Farmer, his first solo album since 1982. The album netted him a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album.