Levon Helm's Mandolin

[Charles E.]

This is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, The curator mistakes it for an F-5 but obviously it is an F-4.

[Timbofood]

He apparently cannot take the time to look inside before posting this surprisingly under researched blurb.
Who is this guy?
Sorry if I have offended anyone but, this guy should not get paid for this little bit of hooey!

[jaycat]

Agreed Timmy. I don't know who his intended audience is, but thanks for letting us know that The Band backed up that "famous singer-songwriter, Bob Dylan."

[AlanN]

The Band (or what remained of it) played at the Middlesex County fair in Cranbury, NJ, maybe 1997. I brought my 1924 F-4 to show Levon and couldn't get past the roadie/guard to show him. I did call his name, though, and held up the mandolin. He saw it, smiled and waved. Made my day.

As I recall, he played mandolin from behind the drum kit on one song, maybe Rag Mama Rag. You could hear it for perhaps 3 bars, then it was drowned out.

[Spruce]

As I recall, he played mandolin from behind the drum kit on one song, maybe Rag Mama Rag. You could hear it for perhaps 3 bars, then it was drowned out.

Early on, he played mandolin quite a bit (Richard switched over to the drums), and it was easily my favorite period of The Band...
And you could hear the F4 just fine...

[Timbofood]

There's a shot on the "Rock of Ages" jacket of Levon with a "Jethro" two pointer. Another reason I started playing mandolin, that and to get girls.........well part of that worked out.

[Jeff Mando]

He apparently cannot take the time to look inside before posting this surprisingly under researched blurb.
Who is this guy?
Sorry if I have offended anyone but, this guy should not get paid for this little bit of hooey!

I'm sure as one of the directors of the R'n'R Hall of Fame, he probably has a 6-figure salary.......

Yep, I'm jealous, probably only a handful of jobs like that in the world! Me, well, I still get to "talk" about music I like online.....FOR FREE!!!

[Elliot Luber]

All his other information is wrong too. The Band was originally known as Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, but when they left him for Dylan, the Hawks had a bad connotationd during the VietNam era, so they just called themselves The Band. It's all in Scorcese's film. If he's the curator, they're dumber than I feared.

[Timbofood]

All his other information is wrong too. The Band was originally known as Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, but when they left him for Dylan, the Hawks had a bad connotationd during the VietNam era, so they just called themselves The Band. It's all in Scorcese's film. If he's the curator, they're dumber than I feared.

He's too young to have destroyed THAT many brain cells. If he's even on the payroll they're dumber than I fear! The research can't be that difficult. Good grief, watch a movie, read a mandolin thread! Maybe they should just pay Scott!

[hank]

I have mixed feeling about taking a wonderful instrument like that out of circulation for a museum exhibit. On the one hand, I was and am a huge fan of the band and Levon and think it's nice that Levon's heirs gave up any monetary gain to respect him in this way but there is real magic in every F4 I have tasted from the early twenties and am sad that this one got turned into a mummy instead of doing what it was made for. For all the hupala made over the F5's with their power to cut through banjo twang, to my fingers, ears and senses these F4's and and 2's are even better. They aren't as loud or powerful as their teen predecessors or snakes of the same era but they are the epitome of fitness and refinement of touch, tone and response. Yes, you can overdrive them more easily than an a 5 but not everybody thinks beating a mule is what this is all about. I find it sad that this curator doesn't know and respect what Levon's family has donated to his museum.

[Jeff Mando]

I find it sad that this curator doesn't know and respect what Levon's family has donated to his museum.

Hopefully Levon's fans will enjoy seeing it on display!

Having worked in the r'n'r and blues museum world, I would say that nothing would really surprise me at this point. We assume with titles like "curator" and "director" we would be dealing with the cream of the crop when it comes to knowledge and expertise, but in reality, my experience is that many are just hustlers or maybe salesman would be a better word for it -- their job is to locate stuff or buy stuff from people whose job it is to find it. When it comes to musical instruments, recordings, film footage, stage clothing, autographs, photos, posters, etc. -- there is a lot to be an expert on. Some of the stuff would be prohibitively expensive if it had to be purchased. Sure, some of the stuff is donated outright by family members. Some items are on loan for a set amount of time. Part of the curator's job is to "sweet talk" the owners into loaning items or selling them for less than they are worth. Some of the work involves contacting widows of deceased musicians. Often, they will find the artists instruments sitting in a closet where they have been for 25 or more years! Another factor I've experienced is that a certain portion of the stuff on display at museums is not authentic........not vintage, didn't belong to the artist originally, is of the "wrong" era, etc. I've even seen reissue guitars signed by the artist on display stating they were owned by so and so......for how long?, used on what performances?, etc. -- misleading and a gray area, at best. Like I say, nice work if you can get it.

I should say I'm speaking from my own experience and what I've found to be true, in general. I don't know the man in the video and have never met him, just to be clear.

[Jeff Mando]

On an unrelated note and having lived in Memphis, Tennessee for many years, I will mention that Memphis citizens are still upset that Cleveland got the Rock'N'Roll Hall of Fame over Memphis, due primarily to the contribution of early disc jockey Alan Freed.............Let's see, on one side you've got Alan Freed and on the other side you've got Elvis, Sun Records, Meteor Records, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Rufus Thomas, Howlin' Wolf, Billy Lee Riley, Roy Orbison................
Hey, I was born in Ohio, but I've got to go with Memphis on this one!

[Marcus CA]

Here is that mandolin in action during the post-Robertson era, with the shift: Helm moving from drums to mandolin, Manuel from piano to drums, Hudson from organ to piano, and Danko from bass to guitar (instead of fiddle).



Here is Levon playing an electric Gibson on the Today Show with Danko and Hudson a while later.

[Tom C]

The Band (or what remained of it) played at the Middlesex County fair in Cranbury, NJ, maybe 1997. I brought my 1924 F-4 to show Levon and couldn't get past the roadie/guard to show him. I did call his name, though, and held up the mandolin. He saw it, smiled and waved. Made my day.

As I recall, he played mandolin from behind the drum kit on one song, maybe Rag Mama Rag. You could hear it for perhaps 3 bars, then it was drowned out.

I've gone to Levon's Midnight Rambles. They announced..do not ask for handshakes, photos...basically,.. do not approach him unless you were a neighbor.

[Timbofood]

Well. His health was declining pretty significantly by that time, I can't blame him for not wanting to "Press the flesh" much.

[Elliot Luber]

On an unrelated note and having lived in Memphis, Tennessee for many years, I will mention that Memphis citizens are still upset that Cleveland got the Rock'N'Roll Hall of Fame over Memphis, due primarily to the contribution of early disc jockey Alan Freed.............Let's see, on one side you've got Alan Freed and on the other side you've got Elvis, Sun Records, Meteor Records, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Rufus Thomas, Howlin' Wolf, Billy Lee Riley, Roy Orbison................
Hey, I was born in Ohio, but I've got to go with Memphis on this one!

The Hall of Fame is such a crock. Memphis is too authentic for that.

[lenf12]

I've gone to Levon's Midnight Rambles. They announced..do not ask for handshakes, photos...basically,.. do not approach him unless you were a neighbor.

He may have just finished up a round of chemotherapy which knocks out quite a bit of the immune system's ability to fight off infections.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[nmiller]

There's a shot on the "Rock of Ages" jacket of Levon with a "Jethro" two pointer. Another reason I started playing mandolin, that and to get girls.........well part of that worked out.

That's actually an EM-200. He used it on a couple of the Basement Tapes tracks; you can definitely hear it on "Don't Ya Tell Henry".

[Timbofood]

Thanks,nmiller! The shot on the old album cover was not "instrument careful", I do love the shot though!
I have not listened to that in a very long time.
I'd guess it was the same as in the "Today Show" clip, yes?

[vox_rox]

I have mixed feeling about taking a wonderful instrument like that out of circulation for a museum exhibit. On the one hand, I was and am a huge fan of the band and Levon and think it's nice that Levon's heirs gave up any monetary gain to respect him in this way but there is real magic in every F4 I have tasted from the early twenties and am sad that this one got turned into a mummy instead of doing what it was made for.

Totally agree. I don't care who owned it, instruments are made to be played, and THAT'S when they're alive. They are not exhibits, or collectables. If you have too many isntruments, give some to people who don't have one, but displaying instruments, even historically significant ones, is like a death sentence to that peice. Make music, make music, make music.

Peace,
Pierre
--
There is no such thing as strong coffee, only weak people.
--

[Denny Gies]

I'm confused too; how can a "museum curator" make such a simple mistake? Interesting. I wonder if anyone has given him any feedback.

[Timbofood]

Having a title and having any knowledge are not mutually inclusive.

[almeriastrings]

I'm confused too; how can a "museum curator" make such a simple mistake? Interesting. I wonder if anyone has given him any feedback.

Well... very common. Not just in museums that display in artifacts of all kinds, but in zoos too. I was shown around one by the "curator" of the place only a few months ago and so many species were not even labeled correctly on the signs that I lost count. We are not even talking subtle, cutting edge, disputed-among-experts kind of things here - but the kind of stuff I would have expected an enthusiastic child to know...truly scary. Interesting to see the same level of "expertise" among instrument "curators".

[Timbofood]

A job title doesn't guarantee knowledge.

[MikeEdgerton]

Don't look for a guarantee of knowledge anywhere. The latest Fretboard Journal has a picture of a well known mandolin player holding up a Gibson F style mandolin and what looks to be a Regal Reverse Scroll. The description says he is holding up two F style instruments.