Robbie Robertson, the Canadian who Captured the Spirit of Americana, Passes away at 80

The Guitarist-songwriter-singer of the Canadian-American group The Band, Robbie Robertson, who penned hits like “The Weight”, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, and “Up on Cripple Creek”, among other beloved classics, passed away at the age of 80 on Wednesday, leaving behind a musical legacy for generations to look up to. The news about the artist’s death was confirmed by his management, as his longtime manager Jared Levine announced: “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. 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.”

After the release of their debut LP in 1968, ‘Music From Big Pink’, the band lasted for 8 more years before their hiatus. But within that short period, they brought about a massive change in the pop-culture landscape, introducing the magic of Americana when the psychedelic movement was at its peak. Their music served as an inspiration for the Beatles to create their stripped-back album ‘Let It Be’, for Eric Clapton to break up Cream, and they also inspired legends like Bernie Taupin and Sir Elton John to begin writing and recording their own music. Speaking about his music, Mr. Robertson said, “We just went completely left when everyone else went right.”

Robbie Robertson emerged as a true leader of the group, pushing his bandmates forward when they were plagued by infighting and substance abuse issues, until finally deciding on The Band’s legendary break up in 1976 with their farewell concert ‘The Last Waltz’. At the time he said, “The road has taken a lot of the great ones. Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, Janis, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis. It’s a goddamn impossible way of life.”

In 1965, Robertson was contacted by Mr. Dylan’s management and invited to be part of his backing group, and he emerged as one of Dylan’s key collaborators, accompanying him on the guitar on songs like “Blonde on Blonde” and the album “The Basement Tapes”. They faced a lot of criticism from more conservative folk lovers, and Robertson said in 1987 that Dylan was told by “His friends, his advisors, and everyone” to “blow [The Band] off and start from scratch”. He added, “And it took a tremendous amount of courage for him not to do that.”

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