Tennessee Jed

A lot of folks have an interesting reaction whenever the subject of The Grateful Dead is brought up. If they're not completely apathetic, then they either smile knowingly or shrink in horror. I feel bad for the folks in the latter group. They have no idea what they're missing out on.

Now, I understand that the Dead's music can be something of an acquired taste. It largely depends on what other music you like and any opinion you may have on the culture of the times during which the band was active. My wonderful wife, for example, likes their songs alright, but loses interest when things get a bit too jammy. I get that and it's ok. Whatever works for you.

However, I have long maintained that The Grateful Dead were easily one of the most American of American bands ever. They were set up like a rock ensemble but performed with a jazz mentality; developing peerless improvisational skills over the years. Their personal musical backgrounds were deeply rooted in blues, folk, country and bluegrass. Their song lyrics were steeped in American history, particularly the old west. The group even began life as a jug band! Their songs incorporated elements of all these uniquely American genres; sometimes simultaneously. Musically, it gets no more American than that.

From the recently issued "Europe '72 - The Complete Recordings", here's The Grateful Dead with a frisky take of "Tennessee Jed", recorded when the song was still new to them. The song has a groove that smacks of that lazy shuffle that Little Feat perfected. I have to wonder if The Dead were listening to some Feat when this was written. Check it out and you decide.

The Band

Speaking of great bands, is there any reasonable argument that The Band wasn't one of the greatest musical groups ever? I doubt it, especially considering that although The Band had its origins in Canada, their music would sound most representative of styles that were indigenous to America. Yet to this day, I still meet people who have managed to avoid seeing their filmed live concert farewell, "The Last Waltz", for all these years. If you, dear reader, should happen to be one of these fine folks, I urge you to make haste and do so, especially now that you can enjoy it all spiffed up on a hi-def Blu-Ray disc. It's easily one of the very best films ever made about music. Did I mention that Martin Scorsese directed it?

Levon Helm, performing at "The Last Waltz"

After the first edition of The Band folded, drummer/vocalist Levon Helm began the 80's by recording and releasing 4 solo albums. In 1983, The Band reunited without Robbie Robertson, hiring Jim Weider for guitar duties. In 1986, while on tour, pianist Richard Manuel committed suicide. Helm, bassist Rick Danko and organist Garth Hudson continued as The Band, releasing the albums "Jericho" in 1993 and "High on the Hog" in 1996. The final album from The Band was the 30th anniversary album, "Jubilation", released in 1998.

In the late 90's, Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer after suffering hoarseness. Advised to undergo a laryngectomy, Helm instead underwent an arduous regimen of radiation treatments. Although the tumor was then successfully removed, Helm's vocal cords were damaged, and his clear, powerful voice was replaced by a quiet rasp.

Levon, doing what he loved best, in 2009

Helm's performance career in the 2000's revolved mainly around the "Midnight Rambles" at his home and studio, "The Barn" in Woodstock, New York. These concerts, featuring Helm and a variety of musical guests, allowed Helm to raise money for his medical bills and to resume performing. The Midnight Ramble was an outgrowth of an idea Helm explained to Martin Scorsese in "The Last Waltz". Earlier in the 20th century, Helm recounted, traveling medicine shows and music shows such as F.S. Walcott's Rabbit Foot Minstrels, featuring African-American blues singers and dancers, would put on titillating performances in rural areas. "After the finale, they'd have the midnight ramble," Helm told Scorsese. With young children off the premises, the show resumed. "The songs would get a little bit juicier. The jokes would get a little funnier and the prettiest dancer would really get down and shake it a few times. A lot of the rock and roll duck walks and moves came from that."

Initially, Helm only played drums and relied on guest vocalists at the Rambles, but Helm's singing voice grew stronger. On January 10, 2004, he sang for the first time at a Ramble session. During production of his 2007 album "Dirt Farmer", Helm estimated that his singing voice was 80% recovered.

Levon Helm’s next album, "Electric Dirt", took the inaugural award for Best Americana Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards presentation. This was Levon’s second consecutive Grammy award. In 2008, he won Best Contemporary Folk Album for "Dirt Farmer", his first solo recording in twenty five years. Helm was also recognized with a lifetime achievement award as an original member of The Band, that same year.

In 2011, his live album "Ramble at the Ryman" was nominated for the Grammy in the same category and won. On April 17, 2012, his wife and daughter announced on Helm's website that he was in the final stages of his battle with cancer and thanked fans while requesting prayers. Two days later, Helm died at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

From "Electric Dirt", here's Levon Helm rockin' out on "Tennessee Jed" like he wrote it himself. To my ears, this sounds just like something The Band would have done. Enjoy!

The entire catalog of The Band has been nicely remastered and is available for you at Amazon. Music from Levon Helm is also at Amazon, including recordings of his famous Midnight Rambles.

If it should be that you currently have no Grateful Dead music in your collection, then you should know that their music is both a deep well and again, an acquired taste. It's probably best to start with the excellent, acoustic-based album, "American Beauty", for their studio work. But The Dead's forte was playing live, and with incredible foresight, they recorded darn near every live show they ever did. The Dead's archivists are still going through tapes of very well-played concerts that haven't been heard since the day of the show. So, while I will recommend both "Europe '72", and the album known as "Skull & Roses", I will also direct you to the official Grateful Dead website for much more music and info. I also see that iTunes has remastered the entire Dead catalog; no small undertaking, for sure.