If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. WhistlePig Whiskey is celebrating the 45th anniversary of The Last Waltz with a new Rye Whiskey release, dubbed “Robbie’s Blend.” An official collaboration between WhistlePig and the late …
Read More »What Was It Like To Replace Robbie Robertson in the Band?
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their …
Read More »Martin Scorsese's Stunning Tribute to His Late Friend Robbie Robertson
W HEN THE BAND ended their original run with a farewell concert in San Francisco in 1976, Martin Scorsese was there to capture it for his brilliant documentary “The Last Waltz.” The project marked the end of Robbie Robertson’s tenure in the group, but the beginning of a collaboration with …
Read More »Zac Brown Band Covers 'The Weight' in Joyous Tribute to Robbie Robertson
Zac Brown Band covered “The Weight” in honor of Robbie Robertson, who died this August, during his stop in Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center in New York on Sunday night. Robertson, the Band‘s lead guitarist, wrote the hit song for the group’s debut studio album Music from Big Pink in …
Read More »Robbie Robertson Tells All: Dylan, the Band, Shattered Friendship With Levon Helm
In June of 2020, with a pandemic raging, Robbie Robertson took some time to look back at his career with the Band, from writing their greatest hits to their work with Bob Dylan. The release of his documentary Once Were Brothers had him a reflective mood, ready to share new …
Read More »Robbie Robertson Was the Genius At the Heart of the Band's Communal Vision
If there’s a moment that sums up the genius of Robbie Robertson, it’s the part in The Last Waltz when they play “It Makes No Difference.” All five brothers in the Band perform like they’re reading each other’s minds. Every detail is perfect: Robertson’s guitar, Rick Danko’s voice, Garth Hudson’s …
Read More »Daniel Lanois on the Moment Robbie Robertson Reset His Career
In 1986, ten years after the Band had played “The Last Waltz,” its final show with the original lineup, Robbie Robertson decided the time had come to return to music. He’d dabbled in acting and film scoring — not to mention some wild Hollywood times that he would later begin …
Read More »Watch Robbie Robertson's Finale Encore With The Band at 'The Last Waltz'
The life of Robbie Robertson — who died Wednesday morning after a long illness — can neatly be divided into everything that happened before The Last Waltz and everything that happened afterward. The 1976 all-star concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom marked the end of his career with the Band, …
Read More »Martin Scorsese Remembers Robbie Robertson: 'I Could Always Go to Him'
Martin Scorsese first met Robbie Robertson in the mid-Seventies when the Band contacted the director to film their final concert, which would become the moving celebration known as The Last Waltz. They remained close, working together on project after project, until Robertson’s death on Wednesday at age 80. In a …
Read More »Producer Dave Cobb Remembers Robbie Robertson: 'One of the Godfathers of Americana'
Dave Cobb had just gotten off a plane when he learned that Robbie Robertson, the leader of the Band and one of rock & roll’s great lyricists and guitar players, had died Wednesday at 80. The Nashville producer behind such modern-day milestones as Jason Isbell’s Southeastern, Chris Stapleton’s Traveller, and …
Read More »