Mark Levon Helm

Birth: May 26, 1940 Elaine Phillips County Arkansas, USA Death: Apr. 19, 2012 New York New York County (Manhattan) New York, USA

Musician. Drummer with the music group The Band. Born Mark Lavon Helm, the son of a cotton farmer and part time musician, his love of music was born from his family's encouragement. Listening to the Grand Ole Opry also shaped his musical interests. He received his first guitar at the age of nine and while a teenager, he formed his own group The Jungle Bush Beaters and learned showmanship while watching the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. His break came when he caught the attention of Conway Twitty with whom we would occasionally sit in on performances. Helm (now playing the drums) began to collaborate with Ronnie Hawkins in 1959 and the pair acquired a following which resulted after the release of the hits "Forty Days" and "Mary Lou", in addition to an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson were recruited and eventually formed Levon and the Hawks minus Hawkins. They joined forces with Bob Dylan on tour, later taking up residence in Woodstock, New York and renamed themselves The Band, releasing their first studio album "Big Pink" (1968). Several hits from this period include "The Weight" (1968), "Up on Cripple Creek" (1969) and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (1969). In addition, they recorded their famous sessions with Dylan called "The Basement Tapes". On Thanksgiving Day 1976, The Band held their farewell concert "The Last Waltz" which included a wide array of music greats. Helm went onto a solo recording career and also concentrated on acting. He died following a lengthy battle with cancer. (bio by: C.S.)

Family links:

Parents:

 Jasper Diamond Helm (1910 - 1992)

 Emma Nell Wheeler Helm (1916 - 1989)

Sibling:

 Modena Helm Cagle (1934 - 2003)*

 Levon Helm (1940 - 2012)

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Woodstock Cemetery Woodstock Ulster County New York, USA Plot: Just off the road as it turns north in the rear of the cemetery. The grave can be found against a wooden wall which has musical notation on it. GPS (lat/lon): 42.04237, -74.11667

Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]

Maintained by: Find A Grave Originally Created by: C.S. Record added: Apr 19, 2012 Find A Grave Memorial# 88770322