It’s ironic that Robbie Robertson was well-known principally for his songwriting, as a result of beneath the minimal, compositional fashion that marked his work with The Band hid a real guitar stylist and some of the animalistic in rock historical past. The person who went from wild guitar solos with Ronnie Hawkins to penning classics like “The Weight” and “The Evening They Drove Outdated Dixie Down” handed away August 9 from prostate most cancers on the age of 80.

The mysterious quintet identified merely as The Band launched their debut album in 1968, following a stint backing Bob Dylan. In a 12 months that noticed Electrical Ladyland by the Jimi Hendrix Expertise, Wheels Of Fireplace by Cream, and louder-than-God Blue Cheer’s Vincebus Eruptum, Music From Huge Pink was a far cry from the prolonged guitar solos and Marshall amps of the day, and in contrast to something that preceded it – ever.

As producer John Simon mentioned within the “Traditional Albums” video collection, “The Band was distinctive in that we didn’t take heed to anything. We didn’t care what was on Sgt. Pepper’s and Pet Sounds. We favored them, however we have been simply in isolation, influenced by very previous, established influences.”

Their stew of blues, nation, people, gospel, Cajun, jazz, rock and roll, and Tin Pan Alley was maybe the seminal instance of what’s now known as Americana.

Robertson wrote solely 4 songs on Huge Pink (he wrote or co-wrote every thing on the group’s self-titled follow-up) and was not sometimes a part of the vocal mix. However he had three fabulously distinctive singers at his disposal in drummer Levon Helm, pianist Richard Manuel, and bassist Rick Danko. As he informed VG in November, 2011, “I’d say 90 % of the time I wrote these songs particularly for them to sing. It was like a workshop.”

Jaime Royal Robertson grew up in Canada, born July 5, 1943, in Toronto. His father was Jewish, his mom Cayuga/Mohawk, and he cut up his time between town and the agricultural Six Nations of the Grand River reserve.

He used the phrases “Indian” and “Native” interchangeably, as his associates in the neighborhood did. “On the Six Nations Indian reserve, the place all my cousins and uncles and aunts have been, it appeared to me like all people performed music,” he recounted. “I felt like I wanted to get in on this. Lastly, some cousins and uncles began displaying me some chords on guitar. I used to be simply actually drawn to it. There was a time that I can bear in mind pondering to myself, ‘Wow, it’s so nice, you guys turning me on to this and displaying me this, however I really can play higher than now you can.’ I can bear in mind pondering that at a fairly younger age, round 12 or 13.”

He referred to 1956 as his “large bang,” when he was on the impressionable age of 13 and the sounds of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard have been blasting out of radios.

Taking part in his first electrical, a copper-colored Concord H44 Stratotone, his ear was additionally cocked to Les Paul and Mary Ford, Joe Maphis, and the Collins Children, however, as he declared, “I believed, ‘Man, Carl Perkins writes the songs, he performs the guitar solos, he sings!’ That’s even higher than simply any individual who strums the guitar to accompany themselves. And Chuck Berry. Take a look at that!”

A string of storage bands adopted for the pompadoured teen, together with Robbie & the Rhythm Chords. When one opened for Ronnie Hawkins, the rockabilly singer requested Robbie to affix his band, the Hawks.

“After the Concord, I discovered most likely a ’57 Strat in a retailer, and obtained a fairly whole lot on it. However I needed to pawn it a couple of 12 months later to pay for my ticket to affix up with Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks in Arkansas. He mentioned, ‘You don’t want a guitar; simply work out easy methods to get down right here and we’ll get you a guitar.’ So once I obtained there, we obtained a Telecaster. I performed Telecasters for years.”

Robertson could be heard strangling leads out of that Tele on recordings like Hawkins’ cowl of Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love.”

“At the moment, there weren’t lots of people enjoying that fashion of guitar – like James Burton and Roy Buchanan,” he recalled. “They have been very uncommon and distinctive to start with. And I discovered a number of their tips from Fred Carter, Jr., after which from Roy Buchanan. Most individuals performed a distinct fashion, and once I first was enjoying with Ronnie, I took what they have been doing and made it extra raging. On these first recordings I performed with Ronnie, and simply from us enjoying wherever we performed, guitar gamers have been coming from throughout to listen to me try this. They didn’t find out about transferring the strings down and utilizing a banjo string for the primary string. They thought I used to be doing that with common guitar strings, as a result of there have been no ‘light-gauge’ strings again then, proper? So the truth that I may bend this factor, and within the explicit approach that I did it, it was like, ‘Oh, my God, the world’s coming to an finish!’”

With Robertson on guitar and Arkansas boy Helm on drums, Hawkins moved the group to Canada and have become a scorching act in Toronto golf equipment. He quickly changed members with Canadians Danko, Manuel, and keyboardist/saxophonist Garth Hudson. In The Band: The Licensed Video Biography, Carl Perkins mentioned they have been pretty much as good as any rockabilly gamers wherever.

Producer/engineer George Semkiw performed guitar with Toronto’s Richie Knight & the Mid-Knights. Within the Robertson documentary As soon as Had been Brothers, he mentioned, “Each guitar participant in Toronto discovered from Robbie. I watched all of them change from their previous fashion of enjoying to the brand new Robbie fashion of enjoying. I used to be one of many pack.”

I bear in mind vividly the making of Blonde On Blonde. Robbie and I shared a lodge room in Nashville, and we didn’t sleep as a result of we stayed up laughing all night time. I used to be a giant fan of his guitar enjoying, and I cherished enjoying with him on the album. I used to be on a few of these “Boo Excursions.” I believed Music From Huge Pink was unbelievable, a tremendous file. What they did was far more troublesome than making a blues album, as an illustration. – Al Kooper

I all the time had the deepest respect for Robbie Robertson. Right here was a man that created a number of the best American music of all time, was an unbelievable songwriter, and led The Band, a gaggle I’ve all the time cherished. His blues-rooted guitar enjoying by no means actually obtained the credit score it deserved, and he was a grasp at “enjoying for the tune,” no matter that meant on the time.
The years I spent as a part of the Woodstock, New York, scene have been very dominated by his and The Band’s accomplishments, and as The Band went, so did the city… songs of his, reminiscent of “The Evening They Drove Outdated Dixie Down,” “The Weight,” and “Rag, Mama Rag” are simply a part of this grasp’s American songbook, and he positively deserves a spot amongst all the best tune writers of all time! He can be sorely missed by us all, and thank goodness he has left such a wealthy inventive musical legacy! – Arlen Roth

I used to be requested to come back to a gathering with him at Village Recorders in Santa Monica. He was going to make a movie with [writer/director] Zalman King, and he performed me a bunch of songs. The movie by no means occurred, however these songs made up about half of his first solo album. It was simply me and Robbie speaking for a few hours about blues and rockabilly. He was like “How are you aware about these things?” or “What’s your deal?” – at 15 or 16. I simply informed him my story – the place I grew up, how I grew up. What was actually particular was after speaking some time, he mentioned, “You don’t should dwell anymore. All you need to do is work out easy methods to inform your story.” He had that type of cinematic facet to him. Of all of the songwriters I’ve been round or labored with, that was the most effective recommendation anybody ever gave me. Finally, that’s type of what I did. I’m very grateful for that day with him. He was actually inquisitive and observant about issues, and you’ll see that in his writing.

We performed guitar somewhat that afternoon, however that was it. I performed the Strat that he had bronzed, which weighed 9,000 kilos. I informed him, “You’re presupposed to bronze your baby’s footwear, not your ’58 Stratocaster!” He was superior, however so underrated. He all the time performed the appropriate half for what was occurring. I appreciated the truth that not each tune wanted a solo. Robbie did a number of the Bobby Womack/Hendrixy double-stops, like within the intro to “The Weight.” He was all about composition – in all definitions of the phrase. – Charlie Sexton

Robbie’s guitar stylings have been the proper match for The Band, and an ideal instance to all gamers and songwriters of what can occur when one is impressed by the musical firm they maintain. His tone shined all through an unlimited panorama of sound and songs that outlined an undefinable new style of music. – Cindy Cashdollar

We misplaced certainly one of America’s nice songwriters – the visible  songs and melodic lead enjoying he did with The Band drastically impressed me and plenty of others. The songs mixed people, blues, and rock and roll into what’s now known as Americana music. – Jim Weider

I met Robbie in 1963 in Toronto, and he turned my good friend. He was a really educated man in regards to the scene there, and hipped me to stuff I didn’t know. Ronnie Hawkins was notoriously low cost, in order that they determined to separate from him. I used to go hear their present, they got here to listen to mine, and we turned actually good associates. They have been making an attempt to get a file deal, and I used to be signed to Vanguard Data, so I urged we make a file collectively. My associates Michael Bloomfield and Charlie Musselwhite have been in New York at the moment, and I invited them to the session.

On the time, I used to be good associates with Bob Dylan, and he additionally got here to the session, so I launched him to Robbie and the blokes. Dylan needed to do one thing electrical, and as quickly as he heard Robbie and the blokes, he knew who he needed to do it with.
Robbie was an ideal blues guitar participant. He knew his stuff and had an ideal ear. I used to be so shocked when he didn’t simply turn into extra of a blues participant, however he was an ideal musician and really able to making that transition. I actually wasn’t too impressed with the Huge Pink album; it took some time for me to grasp how that they had made that transition. However after they labored with Bob and had their very own inspiration as to easy methods to give you their unique stuff, I used to be very impressed later. However at first I used to be so disenchanted; I believed they’d make a blues file.

Within the fall of ’65, I did the I Can Inform album, additionally with Robbie. The Rolling Stones have been in New York on the time, so I invited them to the session, and Invoice Wyman performed bass. Brian Jones needed to play harmonica, however I mentioned, ‘No, I’m enjoying harmonica.’ We had a grand previous time. – John Hammond

The Forest Hills live performance (August, 1965) was my first dwell gig with Dylan, after which the Hollywood Bowl. We had two weeks of rehearsal with Robbie changing Bloomfield and Levon changing drummer Bobby Gregg. Previous to that, I used to be acquainted with the Hawks. Robbie was a very good half participant with licks that associated to the tune melody. In Woodstock, we frolicked on the Bear Cafe and hung out jamming at Huge Pink. He was a very good co-writer however wanted the band to make the songs work. Producer John Simon actually helped The Band develop their sound, and he would play tunes for me. Music From Huge Pink is likely one of the all-time nice albums. – Harvey Brooks

I used to be on a distinct facet of the moon when the early Band albums got here out. I backed into them by the use of The Final Waltz. I knew a bit about them as a result of they backed Bob Dylan, and I knew they have been an ideal band that was accountable for lots of cool issues. However once I noticed The Final Waltz, I did a deep dive, and I used to be in it from the primary word. It was a type of once-in-a-lifetime combos of folks that was most likely even past their comprehension. It was so good and so proper, and on the backside of all of it was the songs.
Levon was my pal, and Robbie and I shared a desk at a Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame induction, and I frolicked with him at Billy Bob Thornton’s studio. I noticed Richard Manuel play in Nashville not lengthy earlier than he handed. I by no means met Danko, and I’ve but to fulfill Garth. However the different ones, I no less than obtained to shake their palms – it was actually shaking palms with any individual.

Robbie was completely a very good guitar participant. I used to be assigned a mission within the ’90s, once I was on MCA Data. I did this venture known as Rhythm Nation And Blues, the place they paired us hillbillies with soul stars. They requested me who I needed to sing with, and with out query it was the Staple Singers. The tune that went with that was “The Weight,” and there’s one guitar fill in The Final Waltz that wrecked me, on the road “Catch a cannonball now, and take me on down the road.” That one explicit guitar lick completely made the solar come out for me. He knew what to play to make these songs sparkle. And that’s the mark of an ideal guitar participant, to me.

God bless Robbie Robertson, a once-in-a-lifetime cat. – Marty Stuart

This text initially appeared in VG’s October 2023 concern. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.