It was just recently reported that Levon Helm, best known as drummer and vocalist with The Band, was gravely ill with cancer. He passed away earlier today at the age of 71 taking with him an immense musical talent. Although most identified with the primarily Canadian group The Band, Levon Helm himself grew up in Arkansas listening to a confluence of blues, country and R&B in the 1940s and 1950s. He and musician Ronnie Hawkins moved to Canada and recruited Canadian musicians for a band in the early 1960s first known as The Hawks, and, after Ronnie Hawkins left, eventually The Band. The group backed Bob Dylan while Levon Helm went on a two-year hiatus. After he returned the group came to prominence with their legendary recordings Music From Big Pink, The Band, and Stage Fright. The group's sound laid the groundwork for what would later become known as Americana. The Band's biggest pop hit single was "Up On Cripple Creek" with lead vocals by Levon Helm.
...Source: http://top40.about.com/b/2012/04/19/levon-helm-of-the-band-dies-at-age-71.htm
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