Fourteen years after Levon Helm’s passing, his music still echoes as loud as ever.
Helm rose to fame in the ’60s as a member of the Band, an iconic group that also included Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Robbie Robertson. To understand how innovative and gifted he was, Helm also collaborated with other music legends like Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr and Neil Young.
Thursday marked 53 years of the Band releasing their hit album, Moondog Matinee. The album included covers of hit songs like Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train” and Clarence “Frogman” Henry’s “Ain’t Got No Home.”
November 1st is also 51st anniversary of the Band releasing one of their other most celebrated albums, Northern Lights – Southern Cross.
Brian Parillo, the CEO of Levon Helm Studios Inc., and Helm’s widow Sandy spoke to Men’s Journal exclusively to reflect on his illustrious legacy and what they’re doing to preserve it.
‘He Hit the Road and Never Looked Back’
(Photo by Harvey L. Silver/Corbis via Getty Images)
Levon and Sandy tied the knot on Sept. 7, 1981. They were married for just over 30 years until his death from complications of cancer on April 19, 2012.
Asked by Men’s Journal when Levon realized that music could be a full-time career and more than a local passion, Sandy said he learned it after meeting another future icon in the industry.
“He had that figured out,” Sandy said. “When we met, he had already figured it out when he met Ronnie Hawkins. When Hopkins and Levon met, Hopkins needed a drummer for his band (the Hawks).
“Levon was still in high school…He said when he watched Hopkins play, ‘I knew that’s what I wanted to do.’ Hopkins went to Levon’s parents (and told them), ‘We’re gonna be on the road a lot.'”
(Photo courtesy of Sandy Helm)
His parents were adamant that he finish school first. After graduating in 1958, Helm had the green light to chase his dream.
“He hit the road and never looked back,” Sandy said.
Sandy recalls meeting Levon for the first time at a swimming pool in Los Angeles around 1973. At the time, Levon was working with Neil Young on the latter’s 1974 On the Beach album, where he provided the drums.
Asked which albums the legendary drummer was most proud of, Sandy mentioned The Band’s first two: Their debut studio album, Music from Big Pink (1968), and The Band (1969 often referred to as The Brown Album).
“To have all those great songs right from the shoot,” Sandy said.
Forming ‘The Barn’ and Midnight Ramble
(Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives).
Levon Helm Studios is located in Woodstock, New York. Nicknamed “The Barn”, the studio was built in 1975 and has hosted countless live music performances.
Notable musicians to appear at Levon Helm Studios include David Crosby, Norah Jones, Eric Church, Elvis Costello and Mumford & Sons. In 2004, Helm launched “The Midnight Ramble,” a series of community-style concerts held at the Barn.
Parillo acquainted Helm and the Band’s other members in the ’90s. In 2000, Helm offered Parillo (also a drummer himself) and his band the opportunity to open for him in Woodstock.
“I became much closer to Levon from living in Woodstock,” Parillo recalled.
Asked what the original vision was for Levon Helm Studios when it was officially incorporated in 2004, Parillo cited nurturing Helm’s creative talent.
“The original vision (was to) foster Levon’s creative energy,” Parillo said. “He was the genius as far as I was concerned. He had proposed doing a monthly gig in Schenectady, New York. I asked him if he wanted to do that at the barn, and he gave me the go-ahead to start producing the shows. As long as I stayed true to what Levon wanted…we had a great trajectory.”
Continuing His Legacy
(Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Together, Sandy and Parillo are committed to keeping Levon’s legacy alive in the way he would have wanted: Keep the Barn going and the music flowing.
Parillo said that means creating “more musical opportunities” at the Barn to all sorts of music genres, from gospel to blues to country to Americana to rhythm and blues.
“The best way to preserve Levon’s legacy is to keep music flowing through the barn. He built it for that reason, to bring people together,” Parillo said. “As long as we continue to honor that, I think we’ll bring his legacy to future generations. It’s important that it is preserved as a living, breathing venue that honors the tradition but is also looking to the future.”
Sandy recalled Helm’s last words to longtime manager Barbara O’Brien before he passed away on Apr. 19, 2012.
“Barbara, keep it going,” Levon told O’Brien, according to Sandy. “He was talking about (keeping) the music going, keep the Rambles going. Keep the barn alive.”
“Levon would say his goal here was to have the purist of music, to reach the most people and the community, to have people come in and feel the warmth,” Sandy continued. “It’s a beautiful experience for the people who come to hear it. I want to keep his legacy alive. He was such a special, beautiful person. He was all about the music…wanted to reach people as much as he could.”
