Robbie Robertson was a Canadian musician who played lead guitar and sang and wrote songs for Bob Dylan in the 1960s and 1970s, and with \u201cThe Band\u201d until 1978. Then he continued his successful career as a solo recording artist and film music composer, and wrote books. He worked on films with Martin Scorsese as an actor and music writer, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. About a year ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to other parts of his body, and he died on August 9, 2023.<\/p>\n
Early Life and Music Career<\/strong> Robertson was first exposed to music at the Indian tribe\u2019s Six Nations 40, Ontario, where he spent summers with his mother’s family and wrote songs and performed on stage as a teenager. In 1960, at age 17, he joined singer Ronnie Hawkins in the band called \u201cThe Hawks.\u201d They later changed their name to \u201cThe Band\u201d when Bob Dylan hired them to open for his band. In 1976, when Robertson was 33, the Band broke up and Robertson started a solo career, releasing several successful solo albums.
\nJaime Royal Robertson was born to a Jewish father and a native Mohawk Indian mother before they were married. He later took his stepfather’s family name after his parents married. His father was a professional gambler who died in a hit-and-run accident.<\/p>\n
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