The man has graced the covers of Time Magazine and Rolling Stone, and been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His band, The Band helped Dylan go electric before headlining Woodstock in 1969. Martin Scorsese famously documented him and The Band in the legendary Last Waltz. And on October 30th, Levon Helm released an album and wrote in the liner notes, "We hope you like Dirt Farmer, and I love you all for giving us a fair listen."

That last bit speaks volumes about Levon Helm's good, solid, humble nature and of his genuine love of music.

The story of Levon Helm contains elements from Mark Twain's folksy Americana, from the quixotic ramblers of Jack Kerouac and from the southern tragedies of Tennessee Williams. But most importantly, it contains a comeback worthy of Roy Hobbs.

Helm was born in rural Arkansas and grew up in a house that did not have electricity until he was 15. "If we wanted music, we sang to each other", he said in a recent Rolling Stone article. Thus, the legendary southern holler was born, and soon he began playing drums, guitar, and mandolin to become an exceptional musician. He would join a group of Canadians to back Ronnie Hawkins, the well-traveled rockabilly singer. The group hit the road, the hard road, and eventually caught the eye of one Bob Dylan. Dylan was looking for a more exciting live show with a group to explore the endless limits of rock & roll. Levon and his mates from Canada agreed to back Dylan on the now seminal 1966 world tour, where Dylan went electric and got booed for his efforts. Helm got fed up with the lack of respect from audience members, left the tour and worked on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

In the summer of 1967 Dylan, Levon Helm and the rest of the band reunited in Woodstock. It was in the down-home atmosphere of Woodstock that allowed Dylan and the newly named "Band" to produce an unpretentious, rootsy sound that blurred the lines between folk, rock, country, and blues. When Dylan and The Band agreed to go their separate ways, it was largely out of the obvious assertion that The Band was a force to be reckon with on its on. The Band's two Woodstock albums,  "Music from Big Pink" and "The Band" would boast some of the most influential work in rock history.  With the magazine covers and sold out shows and worldwide success, came financial windfalls beyond any of The Band member's dreams. Levon was among the Band members who naively neglected to pay strict attention to the business aspect of the group.

When The Last Waltz closed the book on The Band in 1976, the five original members had established themselves as true rock & roll legends. If the Last Waltz guest list is any indication of The Band's tremendous scope, then consider that it included Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Muddy Watters, Ronnie Wood, and beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Levon was not ready to hang up his rock & roll shoes following the Waltz, so he consistently played gigs worldwide with a diverse assortment of musicians. Tragedy seemed to lurk around every corner for a long period in Helm's post Band years. His dear friend and Band mate Richard Manuel committed suicide in 1984. His whole barn went up in smoke, destroying a vital part of his existence in Woodstock. In 1999 another Band member, and Levon's "brother" as he is referred to in the Dirt Farmer liner notes, passed quietly at age 57. Around the same time as Danko's death, Levon was diagnosed with throat cancer. The legendary voice that sang for the anonymous Confederate soldier in "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", and implored Fanny to "Take a load off" in "The Weight", went silent. Undaunted, Levon continued to refine his drumming while undergoing grueling radiation treatments.

Largely due to the fact that Levon had a poor royalty deal with Capitol Records, Helm struggled to pay steep medical bills. Coupled with the cost of rebuilding the barn/studio, Levon nearly declared bankruptcy. He slipped from the public eye and into the dreadful "where are they now?" conversation.

 If you listen to one tune sung by Levon Helm, you know that he had a distinct gift. It's a voice you know exactly who is singing even if you don't know the song. A voice so transcendent it can't stay dead. So, miraculously, it came back. And for the last several years Levon Helm has sung, drummed, and rocked his way out of debt by hosting the now famous Midnight Rambles at his barn in Woodstock. On Saturday nights, he invites regular folks to the barn for a night of the most pure and enjoyable evening of music you can ever witness. As his Ramble performances have developed into a must see event (Rolling Stone and The New York Times have been unabashed in their praise of the Midnight Ramble), Levon has used the momentum to record a stunning new album, Dirt Farmer.

The album is unlike anything you will hear this year, as it hearkens back to Helm's childhood in Arkansas and the songs he learned growing up. Filled with gorgeous vocals, the album impressively utilizes a marvelous combination of mandolin, fiddle, pump organ and the always polished musicianship of Larry Campbell. Personal favorites include "False Hearted Lover Blues", "Poor Old Dirt Farmer" "The Mountain"...wait, I'm just listing each track. Please go buy this album. You won't make a better purchase.

True to Levon form, Dirt Farmer's sound ranges from the Mississippi Delta to the Appalachian Mountains to the Dust Bowl West to a music filled barn in the heart of the Catskills in Woodstock.

In short, it's as American as a great comeback.

-Shaun McNamara