I am a big fan of guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson and this book opened my eyes to his amazing talent and life. Jaime Royal "Robbie" Klegerman Robertson grew up in Toronto. His mother was Cayuga and Mohawk and his father was a Jewish gambler by the name of Klegerman who was killed in an auto accident. He grew up using his stepfather's last name, Robertson. After playing in local bands he left Toronto at sixteen and headed south to be a musician. He ended up with Rockabilly legend, Ronnie Hawkins band The Hawks where he met drummer Levon Helm who would become a lifelong friend. The Hawks split from Hawkins and became the legendary group The Band who toured with Bob Dylan during the controversial 1966 tour and played with a wide range of amazing musicians. The book follows the development of The Band from their residency at Big Pink, the house/studio in Woodstock, N.Y. (and the base for the album titled "Music from Big Pink") to their relocation in Malibu, California. I did not realize how many well known songs recorded by big name performers were written by Robertson. Sadly the book ends after the "The Last Waltz", The Band's swansong album and film with only brief mentions of some of his work with other performers. It does not extend into his work on several film scores and the development of his Native American group The Red Road Ensemble and his albums focusing on his Native American ancestry among other recordings and performances. The book starts out slow but picks up speed once The Band is established.
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