An Arkansas drummer from Turkey Scratch in Phillips County would have an international career. Levon Helm was born on May 26, 1940, and knew by age six that he wanted a musical career. He joined rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins band at seventeen, which led to him meeting a group of Canadian musicians who would gain fame as The Band.
After recording several hit albums, The Band broke up in 1976 with a concert documented in the Martin Scorsese film The Last Waltz. Helm would later tour with his own groups and with The Band when it reconstituted in the eighties.
Helm acted in several movies, including a role as Loretta Lynn’s father in Coal Miner’s Daughter, and in 1993 co-wrote the autobiographical This Wheel’s On Fire. Settling in Woodstock, New York, Helm recorded Grammy-winning albums in the early two thousands, held monthly Midnight Rambles at his home and toured seasonally with the Levon Helm Band. He died of throat cancer on April 19, 2012.
To learn more, visit encyclopediaofarkansas.net.
You can read the entire Encyclopedia entry at Helm, Levon - Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
