In tribute to Levon Helm: LEVON & THE HAWKS - HE DON'T LOVE YOU (AND HE'LL BREAK YOUR HEART)

It is incredibly sad to hear that Levon Helm is losing his battle with cancer; a battle he has fought for over ten years. I can't help but believe that music is one of the things that has kept this man holding on.

Levon's vocals have always been some of the most soulful ever cut to tape, and his drumming epitomizes southern funkiness. He will be missed, but the music and his spirit will live on forever. (I stand corrected- I initially posted Levon is the lead singer on this track, but it's actually Richard Manuel. Levon is driving the song with that incredible drumming)

(from the original post, 23 Sept 2009): Spending years perfecting their musical (and vocal!) chops in countless bars in Toronto and beyond, this is the group that, three short years later, became The Band. During that three years, these guys were some of the most controversial musicians around, backing Bob Dylan on his first worldwide electric tours. Creating some of the most alive, raw and soulful music ever heard, they were booed almost everywhere for the heresy of perverting pure folie Dylan. Little did they know Bob always wanted to be a rock star and the incredible musicianship of the Hawks helped him achieve what he always wanted!

The Hawks spent the latter part of the fifties through around 1964 as backing back for rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins, who took the combination of young Canadians and one transplanted southerner under his wing, worked them hard and turned them into some of the finest musicians known to the world.

This track is so deep and utterly soulful that it could easily pass for something off of Stax records. While the Band later explored all types of roots music, the r&b backbeat was a constant through their entire career.

from 1965...

LEVON & THE HAWKS - HE DON'T LOVE YOU (AND HE'LL BREAK YOUR HEART)