Robertson denied he had unfairly withheld credit. In the 1990s, acrimony emerged when Helm accused Robertson of failing to give co-credits to the other members on songs he claimed they had co-written.

He released several solo albums, exploring new sonic territory rather than trying to recapture the distinctive sound of The Band. They decided to pack it in by holding a star-studded concert in 1976 with such guests as Dylan, Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison and Muddy Waters.Īfter The Band's breakup, Robertson created soundtracks for Scorsese films, including 'Raging Bull.' He made a foray into acting in 1980 with the film 'Carny,' starring Jodie Foster. 59 on its 2015 list of '100 Greatest Guitarists.' His unique guitar style was displayed to great effect on such Band songs as 'Jawbone' and 'Smoke Signal.'Īfter soaring to the highest heights on their first two albums, The Band continued to produce good work in the 1970s but a certain lethargy and lack of direction set in, not helped by the substance abuse problems of Danko, Helm and Manuel. 'Rolling Stone' magazine eventually ranked him No. Robertson became infatuated with the guitar early on and gained a reputation as a guitar hot shot during his time with the Hawks.

'To see somebody sitting beside you in a chair and hear their fingers moving on the instrument, and hear them breathing when they were singing, all of that, it gave me chills.'

It struck him that 'everybody there could play or sing or dance or do something with music,' he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's 'Metro Morning' in 2017. Robbie Robertson later learned that his biological father was a man he described as a 'card shark' of Jewish heritage named Alex Klegerman, who was killed in a highway hit-and-run accident before Robertson was born.Īs a boy, Robertson was impressed by his visits with relatives on the Six Nations Indian Reserve in southwestern Ontario. She married a Canadian Army enlistee named Jim Robertson.

His mother, Rosemarie Dolly Chrysler, was an Indigenous Canadian of Mohawk and Cayuga descent. Jaime Royal Robertson was born in Toronto on July 5, 1943. Their music harked back to an earlier America, reflected in such song titles as 'Across the Great Divide,' 'King Harvest (Has Surely Come),' 'Up on Cripple Creek' and 'The W.S. With their frontiersman look and unique blend of folk, rock, country, soul and gospel, The Band influenced the likes of Eric Clapton, Elton John, the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, and generations of later musicians who played music that was by then called 'Americana.' Their 1969 sophomore album, titled simply 'The Band,' was even better.

Led dredge legacy