The Resume

(May 26, 1940-April 19, 2012)
Born in Marvell, Arkansas
Birth name was Mark Lavon Helm
Drummer and frequent lead vocalist for The Band
Also plays guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, banjo and harmonica
Recorded the solo albums 'Levon Helm and the RCO All-Stars' (1977), 'Levon Helm' (1978), 'American Son' (1980), 'Levon Helm' (1982), 'The Ties That Bind' (1999), 'Dirt Farmer' (2007), 'Electric Dirt' (2009) and 'Ramble at the Ryman' (2011)
Appeared in the films 'Coal Miner's Daughter' (1980), 'The Right Stuff' (1983), 'Smooth Talk' (1985), 'Feeling Minnesota' (1996), 'Fire Down Below' (1997), 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' (2005) and 'In the Electric Mist' (2009)
Wrote the biography 'This Wheel's on Fire' (1993)

Why he might be annoying:

He grew up in a town called Turkey Scratch.
He changed his name from Lavon to Levon because it was easier for the other members of the Band to pronounce.
When the Band became Bob Dylan's backing group, he quit and spent two years working on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
He wanted to call the Band 'the Crackers.'
His constant carping about Bandmate Robbie Robertson in his autobiography prompted one reviewer to note, 'It takes more than one ego to keep this kind of feud going.'

Why he might not be annoying:

He said his drum stool is 'the best seat in the house' because he can see his fellow musicians and the audience simultaneously.
He (or least his name) inspired the Elton John hit 'Levon.'
In the documentary 'The Last Waltz,' he is the only Band member Robertson allows to talk without interrupting.
His acting debut as Loretta Lynn's father in 'Coal Miner's Daughter' was critically praised.
His vocal cords were damaged during surgery for throat cancer (1998), but he recovered 80% of his voice over the following decade.
He hosts a series of 'Midnight Rambles' with all-star guests at his home studio in Woodstock that are open to the public.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Banjo Strummers
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 41]
• CMA Album of the Year (Ranked: 1980)
• Drummers
• Drummers Who Sing
• Grammy for Best Americana Album (Ranked: 2010)
• Grammy for Best Americana Album (Ranked: 2012)
• Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album (Ranked: 2008)
• Harmonica Players
• I Died in 2012 (Ranked: 71)
• I Have Throat Cancer
• I Married in 1981
• I Performed at the Last Waltz [November 25, 1976]
• I Skipped My Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Ranked: 1994)
• Known By a Middle Name
• Look at My Drums
• Metacritic's 30 Best Reviewed Albums [2009] (Ranked: 18)
• Musicians Who Act
• Profiles 32501-32750 (Ranked: 32616)
• Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band
• Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time [101-200] (Ranked: 148)
• Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of the Rock Era [2008] (Ranked: 91)

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 18 Votes: 5.56% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 11 Votes: 9.09% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 25 Votes: 48.00% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 192 Votes: 50.0% Annoying