The band - The Weight (Take a load off Annie/Fanny)

Levon Helm came to fame in a rootsy rock group that featured three extraordinary voices. But you could always tell which was his: It was the sound of the lusty wildcat, the stern Southern preacher, the depleted Confederate soldier, the dirt farmer at the end of his day. Levon Helm, drummer, vocalist and mandolin player with The Band, has died after a long battle with throat cancer. Levon Helm, drummer, vocalist and mandolin player with The Band, has died after a long battle with throat cancer.