In September of 2008, as the kick-off event on the eve of Americana Fest, Levon Helm came to bring his 'Ramble' to the Ryman Auditorium. I am happy to report that I was in the audience for this star-studded and sing-along night, as these are songs that are embedded into our brains. On stage were contributors Buddy Miller, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow, Sam Bush, and Billy Bob Thornton, alongside the members of the storied Levon Helm Band. The show was made into a PBS special, which you might have seen.
By the way, the nominations for the 2011 Americana Honors & Awards will be announced on Monday, May 23rd in New York City. This year’s 12th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference will take place from October 12 through the 15th in Nashville, and will once again be a not-to-miss week of music. You can register by clicking here. And as we get closer, showcase wristbands will be for sale too, if you just want to go to the night time shows.
Today Levon Helm’s Ramble At The Ryman comes out on CD/MP3/Vinyl and DVD, so we bring you the track “Ophelia.”
- Jessie Scott
The Americana Music Association announced today that Levon Helm will donate a portion of the Ramble at the Ryman CD and DVD proceeds to the not for profit trade association. “They are one of the few outfits that supports great music” said Helm, “we gotta help ‘em.” Helm is the first artist to donate the shares of cd and dvd sales to the music association.