“Robbie Robertson, Chief Composer and Guitarist for the Band, Dies at 80”

Robbie Robertson, the chief composer and lead guitarist for the Band, has passed away at the age of 80. His work helped to inspire the genre of Americana, offering a rustic vision of America that was both mythic and authentic. Robertson’s songs evoked a hard and colorful America, with enigmatic lyrics and a mix of folk, country, blues, and gospel. The Band’s music had a lasting impact, influencing major artists and serving as a template for the Americana genre. Jim Farber reported

Robbie Robertson, the primary composer and lead guitarist for the Band, passed away at the age of 80 in Los Angeles. His remarkable body of work captured a rustic and mythical portrayal of America, contributing to the emergence of the genre known as Americana. Robertson’s manager, Jared Levine, confirmed that his death was the result of a prolonged illness.

The songs Robertson penned for the Band utilized intriguing lyrics to evoke a bygone era of a rugged and vibrant America. With unwavering conviction, these compositions conjured up vivid imagery of a wild and untamed landscape, often centered in the South, populated by characters such as the defeated Confederate soldier in “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” the resilient union worker in “King Harvest Has Surely Come,” and the enigmatic figures in “Life Is a Carnival.”

The musical accompaniment he crafted to complement these passionate narratives drew from the roots of various quintessential American genres, including folk, country, blues, and gospel. However, when these historically inspired compositions first graced the Band’s albums in the late 1960s, they felt both timeless and contemporary.

In the 2020 documentary “Once Were Brothers,” Bruce Springsteen aptly described the Band’s impact, stating, “It’s like you’d never heard them before and like they’d always been there.”

During its heyday, the Band’s music stood out by diverging from the escalating volume and frenzy of psychedelic rock, as well as the emphasis on youthful rebellion. As Mr. Robertson himself explained, “We just went completely left when everyone else went right.”

The ripple effect of their distinctive sound and image, which was unveiled on their debut album “Music From Big Pink” in 1968, reverberated widely, propelling the group to grace the cover of Time magazine in 1970. Their work also inspired numerous influential artists to create their own unique blends of music, ranging from the Grateful dead‘s “Workingman’s dead” (1970) to Elton John’s “Tumbleweed Connection” (released the following year). The Band’s music even captivated fellow guitarist Eric Clapton to the extent that he sought to join their ranks, although his offer was politely declined. A quarter-century later, the Band’s music served as a crucial template for the acts that were initially categorized as Americana, including Son Volt, Wilco, Lucinda Williams, and their musical successors.

A comprehensive obituary detailing Robertson’s life and career will be published shortly..