We are sad to inform you that Robbie Robertson has reportedly passed away.
At the age of 80, Robbie Robertson passed away after a lengthy illness, according to sources. His career spanned over a half a century and Robertson is most well known as one of the band leader’s of the Canadian and American rock and roll ensemble, The Band. He worked extensively with legends of both music and film with long standing relationships with Bob Dylan and Martin Scorcese.
Scorcese and Robertson have worked on over a dozen projects together, and most recently, Robertson completed “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Their partnership’s most notable was the creation of one of the most iconic concert films of all time, “The Last Waltz” which chronicled the Thanksgiving concert by The Band; It was a star studded affair featuring Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and countless others doing their own material alongside material of the Band.
The ensemble for which he was a founder and one of the principal song writers and players, The Band, sold millions of albums. In the 1980s, Robertson himself popped out of his relative seclusion with the 1987 release of Robbie Robertson. That album sold roughly one million copies and featured the single “Somewhere Down the Crazy River.”
Robertson is survived by Janet, his current wife, Dominique, his former wife, his three children, and five grandchildren.
Garth Hudson is the last surviving member of The Band. Robertson penned some of the most iconic songs in classic rock history including “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” These songs are among the most covered songs by other bands int he history of rock, and the history of music. His songs transcend his own performance of them, and have become a part of the tapestry of rock music history.
We consullted with Professor Louie, who was a producer for many of the albums by The Band on his experiences with Robbie Robertson.
“Robbie Robertson was a real gentleman to me, we recorded Ophelia (the classic song by The Band), because an advertiser wanted to put it into a movie. When I went to Robbie to get permission, and he bent over backward to accommodate the project… Another time we met he thanked me for the release of the Jericho record, he was a big supporter and help to me on all projects that we worked on together. He even complimented The Band on the creation of the Jericho record despite Robbertson not being on the album itself, which he didn’t have to do, of course. He always went out of his way to be complimentary no matter the circumstance when it came to performances and projects having to do with The Band whether he was involved or not.”
Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends, and fans.
To submit an article an article or review, or to just say hello hit us at [email protected]
Also- check out the search feature in the upper right hand corner and search for your favorite artist, event, venue or genre. You’ll be surprised at what you find!
Check out the Live Music News and Review.com Facebook page for updates and announcements.
