Levon Helm died of throat cancer aged 71 today.

The reformed Band without Robbie Robertson opened for the Grateful Dead on New Years Eve 1983 with Jim Weider on guitar. Here is their set.

The reunited Band was generally well-received, but they found themselves playing in smaller venues than during the peak of their popularity. On March 4, 1986, Manuel committed suicide, aged 42, in his Florida motel room. He had suffered for many years from chronic alcoholism.

Helm, Danko and Hudson continued in "The Band", releasing the album Jericho in 1993 and High on the Hog in 1996. The final album from The Band was the 30th anniversary album, Jubilation, released in 1998. Helm went on to carve out an individual career.

Helm used his house to stage “rent parties” in an effort to pay his mortgage and medical bills. The Midnight Ramble kicked off in the barn at 8:00 on Saturday night and shimmied ‘til midnight, becoming a continued event and one of the most cherished musical venues in the country.

Levon’s Midnight Ramble Sessions rejuvenated a creative spark, inspiring an ode to his family with Dirt Farmer, for which he received a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2008, and Electric Dirt, which won the Best Americana Album in 2010.