Levon Helm was born Mark Lavon Helm in Elaine, Arkansas, on May 26, 1940, the son of a cotton farmer.

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Over the past three years, the band has toured with the likes of Levon Helm and Bright Eyes.

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There was also a tribute to the late US rocker Levon Helm, led by Elton John, Mumford and Sons, Mavis Staples, the Zac Brown Band and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes.

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Moreover, a number of the year's deaths caused us to catch our breath, including the tragic passings of such notables as Whitney Houston, Levon Helm and Dick Clark.

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He attributes his interest to the days when his good friend, the late Levon Helm of The Band, then suffering from stage 3 throat cancer, went back on the road after his stream of record royalties dried up.

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