It’s not often a celebrity or musician passing away really gets to me. Don’t get me wrong, I empathize with the families, fans, and people who knew them but it doesn’t often give me pause. Robbie Robertson was different. His music was everywhere while I grew up.
When I was a kid, we did these long road trips up to Haliburton in Ontario. The soundtrack to those trips was one of three cassettes:
– Colin James – Colin James (a very creative album name)
– Meatloaf – A Bat Out Of Hell
– The Band – Music From Big Pink
That last album always stuck with me. Something about the Garth Hudson organs on Chest Fever or the haunting Rick Danko vocals on Long Black Veil got to me. Little did I know at the time just everything Robbie Robertson did. From Ronnie Hawkins to Bob Dylan to Martin Scorsese, Robbie Robertson seemed to have his hand in a little bit of everything.
There’s a million tributes to Robbie Robertson’s life and story out there. Check them out. Read up on his amazing life. And while you’re doing it, listen to Robbie Robertson & Eric Clapton go back & forth on the guitar on this cut from The Last Waltz (especially cool… Robbie jumping in when Clapton has a guitar mishap).
Till next week.
– PV
