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Robbie Robertson's singular contributions to popular music have made him one of the most beloved songwriters and guitarists of his time. With songs like "The Weight," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and "Up on Cripple Creek," he and his partners in The Band fashioned a music that has endured for decades, influencing countless musicians.
In this captivating memoir, written over five years of reflection, Robbie Robertson employs his unique storyteller’s voice to weave together the journey that led him to some of the most pivotal events in music history. He recounts the adventures of his half-Jewish, half-Mohawk upbringing on the Six Nations Indian Reserve and on the gritty streets of Toronto; his odyssey at sixteen to the Mississippi Delta, the fountainhead of American music; the wild early years on the road with rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks; his unexpected ties to the Cosa Nostra underworld; the gripping trial-by-fire “going electric” with Bob Dylan on his 1966 world tour, and their ensuing celebrated collaborations; the formation of the Band and the forging of their unique sound, culminating with history's most famous farewell concert, brought to life for all time in Martin Scorsese's great movie The Last Waltz.
This is the story of a time and place--the moment when rock 'n' roll became life, when legends like Buddy Holly and Bo Diddley criss-crossed the circuit of clubs and roadhouses from Texas to Toronto, when The Beatles, Hendrix, The Stones, and Warhol moved through the same streets and hotel rooms. It's the story of exciting change as the world tumbled through the '60s and early 70’s, and a generation came of age, built on music, love and freedom. Above all, it's the moving story of the profound friendship between five young men who together created a new kind of popular music.
Testimony is Robbie Robertson’s story, lyrical and true, as only he could tell it.
- Print length512 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherCrown
- Publication dateOctober 3, 2017
- Dimensions5.2 x 1.1 x 7.99 inches
- ISBN-100307889793
- ISBN-13978-0307889799
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Robertson’s book is written with a full range of literary devices… his strong point of view is offset by the tenderness he shows, and his stress on his own experience is set within a craftsman’s effort to tell the story whole — an effort to do justice to their adventures as young men, talented, stylish, successful and lucky, who knew the joy of creative friendship… Testimony is high-spirited, hugely enjoyable and generous from start to finish.”—New York Times Book Review
“Robust, wry, gritty and wise.” —The Wall Street Journal
"Confident and well oiled. At times it has the mythic sweep of an early Terrence Malick movie."—New York Times
"Robertson has the same knack for cinematic storytelling that he displays in his songs…Testimony reads like one long, grand adventure through rock's golden age, as told by a world-class raconteur."—Billboard
"Captivating... this is essential reading."—Rolling Stone
"Testimony proves that Robertson is an immensely capable storyteller and a keen observer of the gifts of others."—New Yorker
"Astonishing... [Testimony is full of] detail and remarkable intimacy."—Esquire
"A riveting memoir from the Band guitarist, who chronicles his journey from the Six Nations Indian Reserve to the heart of rock and roll."—People Magazine
"Mr. Robertson is a natural storyteller...Testimony shines."—Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"There's a lot of rock and roll history in the life and times of Robbie Robertson...Robertson delves deeply into [the Band's] tale in his memoir Testimony, tracing their evolution from bar band to Rock and Roll Hall of Famers"—New York Daily News
“Robertson recalls all the key moments of an eventful life with a songwriter's eye for detail… Essential for any devotee of the Band, Dylan, or rock music in the last half of the 20th century.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This long-awaited and colorfully told memoir paints a masterpiece of a life in rock and roll." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Robertson is a masterful and engaging storyteller who brings his genius for hitting the right note in the right place to his melodious and riveting memoir...." —No Depression
“Robbie Robertson’s Testimony is a book of memories and wonders, a personal testament of a magical time in American music from someone who was there, at the center of it all, playing and casting spells and writing songs that helped define those great lost years. There’s history here, and anecdote, regret and reminiscence, a long fond look back at the trials and triumphs of finding your voice then holding your ground. The tone is easy, conversational, like reminiscing with a friend about things you never realized you were part of too. Robbie brings you along with him, keeps you right by his side first to last, just the way his songs do, drawing you close, spellbound by his easy sorcery. You can feel the music in every word.” —Martin Scorsese
"Well, once I started, I couldn’t put it down. It is such a well-paced, well-structured narrative. Robertson's voice is powerful and strong. He has harnessed vivid language to a clean, elegant, writing style, and the sense of honesty, openness, and completeness makes it so very compelling. The personal and the historic that he bears witness to is, of course, extraordinarily special. One of the best documents of our times. And one of the best books on rock and roll ever written." —Jann Wenner
"Nobody tells a story like Robbie Robertson. I can’t think of a memoir that is more compelling, fascinating, or rich in history. Across every page you can feel his love, passion, and musical genius.” —David Geffen
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Stared out that train window
into the darkness,
till I near went stone blind.
I patted out a rhythm on my knee and smiled to myself. Sounded like a song from the very place I was headed.
I was spellbound, gazing out the train window at silhouettes of passing towns, a blur of nocturnal landscapes streaming by. Only the lights were changing. Small-town shadows stirring quietly, city neon coloring the night sky, one scene blending into another. I’d been awake for many hours, but I was too wound up to sleep, too nervous. No, too buzzed! Me and that train were headed to the holy land of rock ’n’ roll, to the fountainhead, where the music I loved grew right out of the ground. This was a southbound train.
Spring, 1960, sixteen years old. I was traveling from Toronto, Ontario, to Fayetteville, Arkansas, toward my chance to try out for a job playing with Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, the most wicked rock ’n’ roll band around. Ronnie was a big rockabilly recording artist, an amazing showman with a fresh, Frankie Laine–type voice. The Hawks were a powerhouse band with perfect casting: they looked as authentic as they sounded—sideburns, slicked-back hair, Memphis cool, one part country gentlemen, three parts southern wild men.
I kept staring out that passenger-car window in wonderment. I’d never been this far from home before. Every time the train whistle blew, a chill ran through me. I tried to close my eyes but couldn’t sleep. This was all too new, too unimaginable, too dreamlike, because, it occurred to me, people from my background didn’t hardly know how to dream.
I remember the exact day it all turned around for me. I had just stepped out the side door of St. Theresa’s Catholic grade school when it hit me: a vicious combination of driving wind, burning ice needles to the face, and blinding snow. You couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of you.
The public school lay between my school and my house, and it was plainly understood that you took your life in your hands with the kids who went there if you cut through that school yard. But in this storm I had to risk it. The sleet was pushing me to the ground every few steps. So I set myself on a direct line for enemy territory, hoping none of those tough older kids could possibly be out in this blizzard; I thought, Even Eskimos don’t go out in this.
But then I spotted a figure in the distance. I was already halfway across the school yard, no turning around now. As I got closer, I saw that the guy was big, and he was coming toward me. My heart was pounding from wading through the snow and being pushed back by the wind, and now from fear. He stumbled toward me, shielding his face with his scarf, like a mask. Oh man, what does he want? But when I reached him he merely stuck out his hand, holding a paper flyer, and gestured for me to take it. I blinked. Then I took the paper, stuffed it in my pocket, and kept moving.
By the time I reached the side door of my house I looked like a zombie who had just crossed the Arctic Circle. My mother was there to greet me, saying, “Goodness, get in here, you must be frozen!” While hanging up my coat, she pulled the flyer out of my pocket and read it aloud. “ ‘Music Lessons: Accordion, Violin, Spanish and Hawaiian guitar.’ Oh, are you interested in taking lessons?”
I shook the snow from my hair. “Sure, anything if it means I never have to walk through a blizzard like this again.” I was already drawn to music and now wondered if maybe it could help me find a way out of this frozen hellscape. “But not accordion,” I added. “Lawrence Welk and all . . .”
She laughed—“Okay, big dreamer”—and handed me a hot chocolate.
This was a turning point. I just didn’t know it yet.
As the train idled at the Buffalo border crossing from Canada into the States, an immigration officer walking through the carriage asked me where I was going. It was a tricky moment: if I mentioned anything about a job, he’d turn me back. I was trembling inside, but with a straight face I told him I was going to visit my brother and his family in Arkansas. He glanced at my birth certificate, then looked me dead in the eye. I just about swallowed my gum. After a pause he said, “Have a good trip,” and walked on.
As the train pulled away from the station and we crossed into the U.S., a wave of sadness came over me as I remembered what I’d had to do to get the money to make my way south. Ronnie was looking to replace the guitarist or the bassist in his band, and he had told me, “Come on down here and we’ll see if it works out.” This was my chance to convince him I was his man, so I thought it best not to ask him for any train money; nor did I want to bother my mother, who’d given me a rough time about quitting school.
In the end there was only one thing to do: I had to sell my prized 1958 Fender Stratocaster with the original classic sunburst body. She was a real beauty. I’d worked so hard to get her, saving up for months. But now I had to do whatever it took to get to Arkansas. I was on a mission but leaving that beloved Strat behind cut deep.
The first time I saw Ronnie and the Hawks perform, it was a revelation. I was only fifteen and Ronnie was playing the Dixie Arena in the west end of Toronto; the band I was in, the Suedes, was opening. We’d been playing around Toronto for a few months, and opening for Ronnie Hawkins was the biggest thing we’d ever done. After that night, I would look at music in a whole different light.
We had a strong lineup of players in our own group. Our drummer then was Pete “the Bear” De Remigis. He had a unique rolling-and-tumbling feel to his playing and hummed along unconsciously while he played, like a human kazoo. Pete Traynor, or “Thumper,” played bass. I’d known him since I was thirteen, when we played together in the Rhythm Chords, the first band I ever hooked up with. We called him Thumper because of the way he manhandled the instrument. Pete would play and stare at you steadily, hardly ever looking at his hands. It made for a strange and powerful musical connection. Sometimes it got so intense I had to look away.
Scott “Magoo” Cushnie, our piano man, was twenty-one, and he had more musical training than the rest of us, as well as a sharp sense of humor and a fascinating inventory of slang words that he never shied from busting out. Some of them he invented and some could be attributed to his devotion to the popular, off-the-wall Bob and Ray radio show. I played lead guitar and sometimes sang, but for the Dixie Arena gig we had Johnny Rhythm on vocals. Johnny was part street hustler, part show-bar rock ’n’ roll impersonator, but the guy could sing like a bird. That night we played pretty good, and from the stage we could see Ronnie and his boys checking us out, which made us all reach a little higher.
But when the Hawk took the stage the whole atmosphere changed. The audience, which had been lingering around chatting, now crowded the front of the stage. Suddenly you could taste something raw and authentic in the air. The band was all dressed in black and red outfits. When they exploded into their first song, “Wild Little Willie,” the Hawk prowled the stage like a caged animal. He soared over Will “Pop” Jones’s piano, growling a primitive war cry and miming a cranking motion behind Will’s back like an organ-grinder winding up his monkey. Will was oblivious—he was living inside the music, chewing gum to the rhythm, sweat flying, eyes crossed, head thrown back, hands pumping those ivories. Jimmy Ray “Luke” Paulman’s Gretsch “Country Gentleman” guitar with its flat-wound strings poured on the rhythm. When Luke fired into a solo the Hawk had a chance to spin, flip, camel walk—the original version of the moonwalk—then tumble and land at Luke’s feet. Toward the end of the solo, Ronnie would come back in singing like he was driving a mule train, and when he did the Hawks would settle into a slippery, swift locomotion behind his vocal.
Lefty Evans on bass was the only thing that kept the band grounded, or they might have become airborne and floated away. It was the most violent, dynamic, primitive rock ’n’ roll I had ever witnessed, and it was addictive.
In the center of it all was a young beam of light on drums. Teeth gleaming, laughing, bleached hair glowing, whole body shaking, drumsticks twirling, pushing those red sparkle drums with a hawk painted on the bass drum like a white tornado. It was the first time I saw Levon Helm, and I’d never seen anything like it.
After the show I hung out while the Hawks packed up their guitars and drums, leaning in just to hear those southern accents, so rare up in Canada. I desperately wanted some of this mojo to rub off on me. They were playing at the club Le Coq d’Or in Toronto for a couple more weeks, and I hung around them as much as I could without getting in the way, trying to make myself useful. Their road manager, Colin “Boney” McQueen, let me help out, doing stuff he didn’t want to do, but I didn’t care: this was biblical and I was fast becoming an apostle of the church of rockabilly.
One afternoon at the Warwick Hotel, where musicians, strippers, and small-time con men stayed in downtown Toronto, I overheard Ronnie say, “Boys, I need some new songs. We’re going in the studio next month.”
A bell went off in my head. I had written some tunes for the little bands I’d been in, but this could be a breakthrough. I ran home, grabbed my guitar, went to my room, and stayed up all night trying to write something that Ronnie could wrap his voice around—hopefully something reminiscent of Gene Vincent’s “Woman Love.”
By morning I had finished two songs. That day, I taught them to Johnny Rhythm, who could sing them in a style similar to Ron’s, and soon we were playing them for the Hawk himself. He listened to both songs with a little smirk on his face, but when we finished he stood up and said, “Play those again.” Damned if they didn’t sound better the second time around. Ron pointed a finger at me and declared, “I’m going to record both of them songs.”
I tried not to get too excited in front of him, but inside I was overflowing. “Not bad for a fifteen-year-old, right?” I mumbled out of nervous joy. Ron just pointed his finger again and said, “I’ll be keeping an eye on you, boy. You might have some talent.” When it came to finding good material this incredibly funny showman became stone serious, and it was fascinating to see him turn on a dime.
When Ronnie returned to Toronto a few months later, he brought his new album, Mr. Dynamo, and presented me with a sealed copy. “Both your songs are on here, turned out pretty good.” I tore open the LP and looked at the record label, thrilled to see their titles there—“Someone Like You” and “Hey Boba Lu.” But when I looked for my name, I saw that the songwriting credit read, “Robertson, Magil.” Who was this “Magil” guy? What was this all about?
Ronnie laid it out for me: “Magil” was an alias used by a man named Morris Levy: the power behind Roulette Records, nightclub owner, business partner to the legendary rock ’n’ roll disc jockey Alan Freed, and mobster known for having a recording artist hung by the ankles out the window of his office building. “See that Cadillac convertible parked down there?” he’d say. “I can let go and drop you down into that car . . . or you can walk down there with the keys and drive away. All you have to do is sign the papers.” When you recorded for Roulette, Morris Levy usually got a piece of the songwriting. “Magil” was his credit.
I started to protest but Ron said, “Son, in this business there are certain things you don’t even question. There are some ol’ boys in New York City you don’t want to mess with.” I had heard such stories of the ruthless rock ’n’ roll music business floating around, but I still couldn’t help feeling like “The Fool” from the Sanford Clark song for not standing my ground.
A few days later, Ronnie came to me with an idea, one that would take me to New York City. If I could write songs for him, he said, maybe I also had an ear for other songs that would be good for him to record. Like many artists at that time, he didn’t write much of his own music and was in constant search of new material. So with Levon doing most of the driving—daytime, nighttime, it didn’t matter to Levon—we set off to New York. A friend of Ron’s, Dallas Harms, who had written a couple of popular songs, came along. I felt as if I were part of an official song-search mission.
Crossing the bridge into Manhattan gave me chill bumps. I had never seen so many lights, so many movie theaters, so much neon, so many ladies of the night. I couldn’t take it all in quick enough. We stayed at the Times Square Hotel on 42nd Street, and the next day Ronnie, with me in tow, hailed a cab. “Is Levon coming?” I asked.
“Nah, it’s not his thing,” Ronnie said. “He’ll play it better than anybody, but he ain’t a song person, or he wouldn’t still be singing ‘Short Fat Fanny’ every night.” Ron chuckled and slapped my knee as the taxi pulled away. “Son, that’s what I brought you for. We gotta find me some good material.”
We headed for the Brill Building. With its high entranceway and gold doors, 1619 Broadway was like a temple for tunesmiths. It was the Tin Pan Alley of its day, just north of Times Square, the eleven-story heart of the music industry, a warren of small and large production offices humming with songwriters, musicians, music publishers, and producers. Inside, a guy from the record company took us around to the different music rooms making introductions: Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Otis Blackwell, and, oh yes, the outrageous singer-songwriter Titus Turner, who had just had his own hit on the King label with “Return of Stagolee.” They were all tickled by Ron’s stories and cutups. “Boys, I’ll tell ya,” he crowed, “there ain’t no difference between me and Elvis Presley except maybe looks and talent!”
Product details
- Publisher : Crown; Reprint edition (October 3, 2017)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 512 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0307889793
- ISBN-13 : 978-0307889799
- Item Weight : 13.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.2 x 1.1 x 7.99 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #79,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #129 in Rock Band Biographies
- #141 in Rock Music (Books)
- #234 in Rich & Famous Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author
ROBBIE ROBERTSON was the guitarist and principal songwriter in the Band. He has produced many movie soundtracks for Martin Scorsese and others, and continues to record as a solo artist. His most recent record, How to Become Clairvoyant, came out in 2011.
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Yeah, Robertson's memoir of his early days as a rock N roll guitarist -- and founding member of "the Band" -- contains some of the "Entertainment Tonight" kind of material -- like an affair with Carly Simon (Robertson played guitar on "Mockingbird") -- but it's kept to a minimum. For the most part, Robertson sticks to narration about making music, writing songs, and the more than occasional encounter with an icon. And those encounters with icons make for both humorous as well as insightful tales of the men and women who became famous Rock N rollers: Robertson's fortuitous timing in his travels with Ronnie Hawkins and, later, the group that would become known as The Band, had him bumping into Jimmi Hendrix, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond and, of course, Bob Dylan.
His first encounter with an icon -- when still a young, 15-year-old, fan -- was with Buddy Holly, who was so down-to-earth he shared a tip on how to get the "Buddy Holly" sound while playing guitar. Other memorable stories involve everyone from Dylan (naturally) and Keith Moon -- both saved from drowning, oddly enough (one in a bathtub, one in the ocean) -- to run-ins with Marlon Brando and Salvador Dali.
And, of course, the heart of the story: Robertson's time with The Band, from its formation (when Robertson and fellow Canadians, Manuel, Hudson and Danko, joined up with Ronnie Hawkins and his drummer, Levon Helm) to its eventual break-up, which was initiated by Robertson (who had had enough of the Rock N Roll band touring life). As noted by others, Robertson doesn't delve deeply into the issue of song-writing credit; but he DOES tell some tales that should offer enough proof of authorship (such as seeing the label, "Nazareth, PA" inside of an acoustic guitar, before he wrote "The Weight"). Likely due to respect (for his fellow bandmates) and NOT having the need to prove himself, Robertson doesn't get into details about the semi-famous (in Rock circles, and in fan circles) Levon Helm-fomented feud over song-writing royalties. But anyone truly wondering about the truth of the matter could have seen, long ago, that Levon Helm never had what it took to be a writer (6 post band albums bearing his name contain not a single Helm-penned tune), and that Danko and Manuel didn't have the drive it takes to continue with their fledgling efforst after "Music From Big Pink" (Danko mainly co-wrote songs with others; Manuel managed to pen a few songs of his own, and co-write a few others). Danko's lack of writing ambition led to only an album or two in the Post-band era (containing mostly co-written material, or old, Robbie Robertson material) and Richard Manuel's problems with drugs and then alcoholism led to an early loss of self-control and an early demise.
Aside from the fact that his ego and insecurities got the better of him -- so he spent too many waking moments spreading untruths about Robertson -- one particular revelation about talented drummer and vocalist Levon Helm explains a lot of the paranoia that seeped through his bitter comments: he was a heroin addict. At one point, Robertson gives up on the friendship when he discovers Helm didn't actually give up his heroin, as he had claimed (having first discovered Robertson, Helm and the rest of The Band via "the Last Waltz", in hindsight this revelation isn't so shocking: after all, in "The Last Waltz", Helm can be seen smoking a cigarette AND chewing tobacco at the same time -- talk about addictive personalities!)
TESTIMONY ends with the making of "The Last Waltz", the legendary Rock N Roll documentary by Martin Scorcese, and with the break-up of "The Band". In a few interviews, Robertson has noted that he cut this book from 800 pages down to its current length, ending at a natural point with The Band's break-up. And that he is planning to write a second volume. Which is great news for those who enjoy erudite, insightful writing about musicians and the music they make. TESTIMONY is a classic of Rock N Roll-centered literature. I can't wait for the "sequel".
I've watched the movie and listened to the soundtrack album dozens of times in many different playlists (The Band only, The Band and most of the guests, jams #1 and #2 and finally the rehearsals) and it keeps getting better and better with every watch/listen with jaunts off into Joni Mitchell and others. You can't help but smile when Dr. John delivers a swampy performance (looking sharp in his decked out regalia) of "Such a Night".
The only thing I knew about "Testimony" was what some of the reviews discussed and what I took away was the well-know friction between Levon and Robbie. And it also helped to have just watched (and ordered) "Once Were Brothers" which gives you a great visual backdrop for reading this, my new favorite book about being on the road and what it's like to have four brothers you go through hell with.
I became a fan of "The Band" when I opened a Christmas present from my sister in 1970. The album, "Stage Fright" with that watercolor painting on the cover, is still with me and it will turn 50 this December. I put on for a spin a few months ago (some guys and I got together and I suggested we all bring our first album we personally owned (not family records)) and was surprised at how fresh and energetic it sounded! From there, "The Last Waltz" has been opening me up to going back and buying "Music from Big Pink" which is spinning right now at 45 RPM on the 180 Gram vinyl that arrived yesterday. "The Brown Album" will probably be next and I hope it sounds this wonderful. You see, as a 12 year-old, I had to work hard to build my record collection. So going back and purchasing their first two albums just wasn't quite in the cards. But alas, one of the great pleasures of life now is to make up for lost opportunities. My true regret, though is that somehow I wasn't able to attend their farewell concert on Thanksgiving night, 1976. Oh well, I have the concert and it is a gem and a terrific companion to reading "Testimony". In fact, I think watching "The Last Waltz" is a prerequisite for reading the last chapter in the book.
Top reviews from other countries
This book opens the doors to the engine that was "The Band" and Robbie Robertson.
Highly recommended.
Remember how unique the first Dylan Chronicles was?
I remember a friend once said to me don't read about your heroes, they can never live up to your expectations of them and it may ruin the music for you.
I have since ignored his advice on many, many occasions, but I have to say there is some truth in his warning.
I still love the music of all my heroes Beatles, Dylan,The Band, Beach Boys, CSNY, Joni, Jackson, Cohen, for the most part I regret reading about them....
The music business is a tough and nasty world and I would guess you have to be pretty tough to survive in it. We listeners get tremendous emotional "enjoyment" from their music, then we turn it off and go to work, or about our normal lives or whatever we do.
In the end the business and the drugs always seem to get in the way of making good music. I guess they don't call it the music business for nothing.
I didn't find a lot of heart in this book, he certainly likes to drop names over every page and certainly admires himself.
Most of the story is very familiar even down to some of the tall tales. However we never really get a sense of the heart of the man or his band mates, three of whom seem to go off the rails with startling speed after the second album.
What happened, it's not like they were all teenagers when fame and money struck. Maybe Robbie shouldn't have given them writing royalties for songs they has nothing to do with. They suddenly had money but no creative outlet or drive to keep them sane?
So it is a sad story, one which we know the ending of before it starts, but for me we are no nearer understanding The Band than we were before we started.
In 1974 I saw the Wembley Stadium concert, that was a great day for music, he hardly mentions it sadly. In fact he doesn't actually spend that much time at all on the music.
I also remember seeing the reformed Band without Robbie at The Forum in Kentish Town way back in the 90's and will never forget how awful they were and the sight of Rick Danko yawning over his bass, he looked as bored and unhappy as I was.
I am thinking I may just stop reading musician autobiographies, I can't face going anywhere near Brian Wilson's one!
Then as my friend advised, hey, just listen to the music, that great mysterious look, those amazing voices and those great songs...that's all that really matters in the end.