City Winery Boston will gather together a number of New England’s best folk and rock musicians for A Tribute to Robbie Robertson benefiting The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame (FARHOF). Tickets are on sale now for the 7:30pm show at citywinery.com/boston.
The world lost one of the icons of rock and roll last month, a founding member of The Band, Robbie Robertson. This master musician and songwriter, often referred to as a father of Americana, left an indelible mark on popular music. The songs that Mr. Robertson, a Canadian, wrote for the Band used enigmatic lyrics to evoke a hard and colorful America of yore, a feat coming from someone not born in the United States.
With uncommon conviction, they conjured a wild place, often centered in the South, peopled by rough-hewed characters, from the defeated Confederate soldier in “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” to the tough union worker of “King Harvest Has Surely Come” to the shady creatures of “Life Is a Carnival.”
The music Robertson matched to his passionate yarns mined the roots of every essential American genre, including folk, country, blues and gospel. Yet when his history-minded compositions first appeared on albums by the Band in the late 1960s, they felt vital as well as vintage. “I wanted to write music that felt like it could’ve been written 50 years ago, tomorrow, yesterday — that had this lost-in-time quality,” Mr. Robertson said in a 1995 interview.
“Robbie Robertson is a central figure in the confluence of what we now know as folk, roots and Americana music,” said FARHOF President Joe Spaulding. “We are proud to partner with City Winery to celebrate his extraordinary contributions to American music.”
Among the musicians confirmed to play at A Tribute to Robbie Robertson are Chuck McDermott, Dan & The Wildfire, David Herlihy, Kemp Harris, Reed Foehl, and Sal Baglio, with more to be announced.
The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame (FARHOF) at The Boch Center in Boston celebrates the lifeblood of America’s musical and cultural heritage. This non-profit organization, housed in the Wang Theatre is dedicated to honoring history while also building the foundation for the next generation of folk, Americana, and roots musicians.
A Tribute to Robbie Robertson at City Winery Boston on Tuesday October 10th at 7:30 PM (doors at 5:30pm). For tickets and information, visit citywinery.com/boston. City Winery is located at 80 Beverly St, between Haymarket and North Station in Boston.
