One of the most important voices in rock of the late 1960s and early ’70s — even though he didn’t sing lead on many of his most famous songs — died this week. Robbie Robertson, guitarist and primary songwriter for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Band (and later solo performer and film composer), died Wednesday (Aug. 9) at age 80 after a long illness.
Growing out of the group The Hawks, which served as the backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins and then legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, The Band emerged in the late ’60s as a fully formed rock outfit, with a pair of classic albums: 1968’s Music From Big Pink and 1969’s self-titled album. The group’s rootsy sound and soulful performances, combined with Robertson’s evocative and enigmatic songwriting and strong knack for melody, helped set the early standard for the hybrid genre that would eventually become known as Americana, inspiring entire generations of future musicians.
As The Band fractured over the course of the ’70s, Robertson also became an in-demand producer and guest guitarist — and then in the ’80s, he also began a long collaboration with filmmaking great Martin Scorsese, scoring his The Color of Money (and, much later, The Irishman) and providing additional music and music supervision to many other Scorsese films. He also launched an acclaimed solo career, with his self-titled 1987 debut winning the Juno Award in his native Canada for album of the year.
With a decades-spanning career that remained relevant and vital for many decades after his debut, Robertson’s catalog ranks among the most essential of the rock era. Here are our staff’s picks for his most essential songs, presented in chronological order.
