Levon Helm To Be Celebrated With “Love For Levon” On October 3, 2012 At The Izod Center
On October 3, 2012, music stars and friends will join together to celebrate the life and music of Levon Helm at “Love for Levon.” The star-studded benefit concert will take place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey and will feature once-in-a-lifetime collaborations by friends and admirers gathered together to celebrate and honor Levon Helm. Performances will include GRAMMY, CMA, ACM, Americana and Dove Award-winning musicians: John Mayer, My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne, Eric Church, Gregg Allman, Dierks Bentley, Marc Cohn, Patty Griffin, Warren Haynes, John Hiatt, Bruce Hornsby, Jorma Kaukonen, The Levon Helm Band, Robert Randolph, Mavis Staples, Joe Walsh, Lucinda Williams and more performers to be announced shortly. Tickets go on sale to the general public Wednesday, August 29 with an exclusive presale for Citi Card holders beginning tomorrow. All net proceeds from the concert will help support the lasting legacy of Levon Helm by helping his estate keep ownership of his home, barn and studio, and to continue The Midnight Ramble Sessions.
“We are deeply moved that so many musicians and friends of Levon’s are coming together to celebrate his life and his music, and to help us keep his musical spirit and vision alive in the Midnight Rambles,” said Sandy and Amy Helm, Levon’s wife and daughter. “We want to continue to honor his legacy by creating a musical landmark at the Barn, one that inspires and celebrates Americana music and its heritage.”
“We are honored to produce a benefit concert that pays tribute to a musical icon and a beautiful soul, commented show producer Keith Wortman. “Levon’s friends and fans will be coming from all over the world to be part of music history for such a noble and worthy cause to ‘Save The Barn,’ and ensure that the legacy of Levon Helm will live on for generations to come.”
An all-star band will be led by GRAMMY Award-winners Don Was and Larry Campbell who will serve as co-musical directors. Larry was Levon’s musical director for the last several years of his life. The concert event will be produced by Keith Wortman, who most recently produced “We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash.” Tisha Fein will serve as talent producer. The show promoters are Ron Delsener and Jim Glancy, long-time friends of Levon. The event will be produced with the support of the Helm Family and Levon Helm Productions.
With a career that spanned over five decades, Levon Helm was an inspiration to musicians around the world with his deep respect, joy and love for music. Whether he was hitting the Arkansas 4-H Club circuit as a child, to performing with Bob Dylan, garnering success with The Band and nurturing a successful solo career, that included multiple GRAMMY Award wins, Levon was always a passionate performer who captivated audiences with an unmistakable voice and rhythmic power all his own. His Levon Helm Studio has hosted musicians across multiple genres and his creation of The Midnight Ramble Sessions, a series of live performances at his studio, has seen performances from the likes of Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson, The Black Crowes and My Morning Jacket, to name just a few.
Tickets go on sale to the general public Wednesday, August 29 at 11:00 a.m. EDT at http://www.ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 800.745.3000 and at select Ticketmaster locations. Citi Card holders will have exclusive presale access beginning at 10 a.m. EDT on August 24 until 10 p.m. EDT on August 28. All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. A service charge is added to each ticket price. If tickets remain, they will be available at the box office beginning Thursday August 30 at 11 a.m. For more information on Levon Helm, please visit www.levonhelm.com
About the Producer: Keith Wortman
Keith Wortman is the co-founder and CEO of Cambio / Cambio Network, a leading online entertainment network. Prior to this, he was the President of MGX LAB, a full-service, digital media, brand strategy and business development agency whose clients included Fortune 500 companies, major record labels, artist management firms and media companies. Under his leadership, MGX has earned multiple Webby Award nominations and was a 2012 Webby Award winner for its digital media production and marketing campaign for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right New Orleans. Most recently, he produced the benefit concert event “We Walk The Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash.”
About the Musical Directors:
Don Was
Don Was has earned recognition as one of the top record producers in the music industry, having worked with an array of artists including: The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Al Green, Garth Brooks, Iggy Pop, Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Brian Wilson and Johnny Cash to name a few. He has earned a GRAMMY for Producer of the Year as well as a BAFTA for Best Original Score. Most recently he was appointed President of legendary jazz record label, Blue Note Records.
Larry Campbell
A multi-instrumentalist who has been a respected studio musician and sideman in performing bands since the 1970s, Larry Campbell moves freely between rock, blues, country, folk and Celtic styles, playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel, cittern, dobro and banjo. Today, Campbell performs most often at Levon Helm’s Saturday night Midnight Rambles in Woodstock, New York, where he also functions as bandleader. He tours with the band and produced Helm’s two consecutive GRAMMY-winning records: 2007’s “Dirt Farmer” and 2009’s “Electric Dirt.” In 2008, Campbell was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his instrumental work from the Americana Music Association. As a sideman, Larry is probably best known for his eight years (1997-2004) in Bob Dylan’s band. Before Dylan, Campbell toured with other artists including Cyndi Lauper, K. D. Lang and Rosanne Cash. Over the past decade, Campbell has recorded with artists ranging from Judy Collins and Sheryl Crow to B. B. King, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello and The Black Crowes. In the more recent past, Campbell took on a prominent role in the last few tours (2006-2008) of Phil Lesh and Friends.
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