Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble

This title tells the story of Levon’s Midnight Ramble house concerts, which ran from 2004 to 2012 and ignited his one-in-an-era comeback, the glory of which he shared with us all. The book also offers insight into those places that shaped Levon’s life—Arkansas, Canada, and Woodstock, New York; and those things he held close to his heart—his family, his friends, his dog Muddy, and Team Levon.

This story would not be complete without a look at two things that sculpted Levon Helm as an artist: his film career and the Grammy Awards he very proudly won as a solo musician, long after his career with The Band was over. Underscoring everything is Levon’s enduring passion for music.

On hand for just about all of this was author and music journalist John W. Barry, who at the time lived in Woodstock and was employed in New York’s Hudson Valley as a music writer for the Poughkeepsie Journal, a Gannett daily newspaper and part of the USA Today Network. As he wrote about Levon for the Poughkeepsie Journal, USA Today Network, and RollingStone.com, John became a steady presence at Levon Helm Studios. And Levon invited him to chronicle the achievements and travails that were capping his life.

John was given access to Levon and permission to compile hours upon hours of recordings that captured the why and the how of one of the most stunning comebacks in modern music. And John was the only writer at Levon’s side after he launched the Midnight Ramble.

Foreword by Ringo Starr

318 pages. Trim size: 6 x 9 inches. Softcover. Barry Books. ©2022. $29.95