The Band’s Robbie Robertson Dies At 80

• Guitarist-songwriter-singer Robbie Robertson, who led the Canadian-American group the Band to rock prominence in the 1970s and worked extensively with Bob Dylan, died Wednesday in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 80.

Robertson’s death was announced by Jared Lewis, his manager of 34 years. Robertson’s family released a statement that reads: “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny. He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel, and Seraphina. Robertson recently completed his fourteenth film music project with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support the building of their new cultural center.”

As reported by Chris Morris in Variety, after apprenticing with American rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins‘ backup band The Hawks in the early ’60s, Robertson and his bandmates — drummer Levon Helm, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manuel and organist Garth Hudson — struck out on their own in 1964. The Hawks (later rechristened as, simply, The Band) served as Bob Dylan‘s touring band, were signed to Capitol Records in 1968, and shot to fame with their two albums, Music From Big Pink and The Band.

Robertson is best known for the classic songs he wrote for The Band, including “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “The Shape I’m In” and “It Makes No Difference.”

After The Band’s 1976 San Francisco farewell concert, The Last Waltz was captured on film by Scorsese, Robertson went on to work with the director as composer, music supervisor, and music producer starting in 1980 on films including Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, The Color of Money, Gangs of New York, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence, The Irishman, and the forthcoming Killers of the Flower Moon.

Robertson’s history with The Band was captured in the excellent 2019 documentary, Once Were Brothers. [Photo credit: Luis Sinco]

• The Benztown Audio Tribute to Robbie Robertson was voiced by Darren Silva, and written and produced by Thomas Green.