Robbie Robertson (born Jaime Robert Klegerman, 5 July 1943 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1]) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership in The Band. He was ranked 78th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.[2]
Biography
Early life
Robertson was born to a Jewish father and a Mohawk mother and took his stepfather's last name after his mother remarried. He had his earliest exposure to music at Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, where he spent summers with his mother's family. He studied guitar when he was a youth and has been writing songs and performing since a teenager.
By 1958, Robertson was performing in various groups around Toronto, including Little Caesar and the Consuls, Robbie and the Robots, and Thumper and the Trombones. By 1959 he had met singer Ronnie Hawkins, who led a band called The Hawks after he had relocated to Canada. In 1960 Hawkins recorded two early Robertson songs, "Hey Boba Lu" and "Someone Like You" on his Mr. Dynamo LP. Robertson then took over lead guitar with The Hawks and toured often, before splitting from Hawkins in 1963. Robertson appears on several of Ronnie Hawkin's albums and compilations.
The quintet styled themselves as The Canadian Squires and Levon and the Hawks,[3] but (after rejecting such tongue-in-cheek names as The Honkies and The Crackers) ultimately called themselves The Band.
The Band
Bob Dylan hired The Band for his famed, controversial tour of 1966, his first wide exposure as an electrified rock and roll performer rather than his earlier acoustic folk sound. Robertson's distinctive guitar sound was an important part of the music; Dylan famously praised him as "the only mathematical guitar genius I’ve ever run into who doesn’t offend my intestinal nervousness with his rearguard sound."
From their first album, Music from Big Pink (1968), The Band was praised as one of rock music's preeminent groups. Rolling Stone magazine praised The Band and gave its music extensive coverage. Robertson sang only a few songs with The Band, but was the group's primary songwriter, and was in the later years of the Band often seen as the de facto bandleader.
In 1976, The Band broke up due to the stresses of sixteen years of touring. In the Martin Scorsese film The Last Waltz (1978) Robertson noted that he had been playing live rock and roll music almost since rock and roll began. Also, credited officially as the band's main songwriter, he was able to live off the song royalties, and no longer needed to tour. The Band reformed in 1983 without Robertson.
After The Band
Early solo career
Robertson produced Neil Diamond's albums Beautiful Noise in 1976 and Love At The Greek (live) in 1977.
Between 1979 and 1980 Robertson co-starred with Gary Busey and Jodie Foster in Carny. He also co-wrote, produced, and composed source music for the film. Inspired by Carny soundtrack composer Alex North, with whom he worked, Robertson became one of the first rock 'n' rollers to seriously engage the medium of film. For Scorsese's Raging Bull, Robertson created background music and produced source music.
Between 1982 and 1986 Robertson managed to stay quite busy. For another Scorsese film, King Of Comedy (released the following year), Robertson serves as music producer, assembling tunes by The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Ray Charles, Rickie Lee Jones and others. He also contributes with his first post-Band solo recording, "Between Trains." Additionally, he produced and played guitar on Van Morrison's song "Wonderful Remark". Robertson signed via A&R executive Gary Gersh for his debut solo album on Geffen Records. Robertson recorded with producer (and fellow Canadian) Daniel Lanois. He also scores Scorsese's The Color Of Money working with Gil Evans and co-wrote with Eric Clapton (It's In The Way That You Use It") and Willie Dixon.
For Taylor Hackford's film saluting Chuck Berry, Hail, Hail Rock & Roll, Robertson was enlisted as creative consultant.
Solo albums
From 1987 onwards, Robertson released a series of four solo albums, his first was self titled followed by Storyville, Music for the Native Americans, and Contact from the Underworld of Redboy. In 1990, he contributed to Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto's album Beauty. Robertson's song "Broken Arrow", off the Robbie Robertson album, was covered by Rod Stewart on his album Vagabond Heart and became a hit single. "Broken Arrow" was also a part of the Grateful Dead's rotation of live songs 1993-95 (sung by bassist Phil Lesh), and later with Phil Lesh and Friends. The song "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", became Robertson's biggest solo hit, charting in the UK and Canada.
In 1994, Robertson returned to his roots, teaming with the Native American group the Red Road Ensemble for Music for The Native Americans, a collection of songs composed for a television documentary series.
Also in 1994, Robertson joined Garth Hudson and Rick Danko onstage to perform "The Weight" when The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Levon Helm, who had a falling-out with Robertson after The Band broke up, did not attend.[4]
Later career
In 1995, in Rome, Robertson headlined an annual Labor Day concert festival with support acts Andrea Bocelli, Elvis Costello, and Radiohead. More than 300,000 fans attended the event.
In 1996, Executive soundtrack producer Robertson heard a demo of "Change The World" and sent it to Clapton as a suggestion for the soundtrack to Phenomenon, starring John Travolta. He then enlisted Babyface to produce the track. "Change the World" won 1997 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
In 1997, Robertson received a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters.
From 1997 to 2000, Robertson stayed busy with side projects and documentaries.
In 2000, music industry legends David Geffen and Mo Ostin convinced Robertson to join DreamWorks Records as Creative Executive. Robertson, who persuaded Grammy Award winner Nelly Furtado to sign with the company, is actively involved with film projects and developing new artist talent, including signings of AI, Boomkat, Daniel DeBourg, eastmountainsouth, and singer-songwriter-pianist Dana Glover.
On 9 February 2002, Robertson performed "Stomp Dance (Unity)" as part of the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
At the 2003 commencement ceremonies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Robertson delivered an address to the graduating class and was awarded an honorary degree by the university. In 2006, he announced plans to write his autobiography.
In 2003, Robertson was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.[5]
In 2006, Robertson recorded with Jerry Lee Lewis and Samuel Bidleman on "Last man standing" on track "Twilight".
On July 28, 2007, at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Bridgeview, Ill, Robertson made a rare appearance on stage and played briefly.
According to an article in the February 9, 2008 edition of the Winnipeg Sun, Robertson is said to be working with Eric Clapton on an album of new material.
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese was hired to direct The Last Waltz based on his use of music in Mean Streets. The two lived together during the editing of Waltz and became friends. Scorsese had later admitted that during the editing process, the two of them heavily used drugs. Scorsese hired Robertson to compose the musical score for his 1980 film Raging Bull, and in the years since the two have been frequent collaborators. Robertson would later work on Scorsese's movies The King of Comedy, The Color of Money, Casino and The Departed, and act as executive music director for Gangs of New York.
Personal life
In 1967 Robertson married Dominique Bourgeois, a Québécoise journalist. Together they have three children: daughters Alexandra and Delphine, and son Sebastian.
Discography
Albums with The Band
Solo recordings
Film credits
Robertson is credited in the following films:
Notes
References
External links
