Music is the language of heaven. — Levon Helm

If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out. — Levon Helm

Drums just always sounded like the most fun part of that good music for me. — Levon Helm

My dad and I played music. He teaches me a song or two every time I’m home. — Levon Helm

If it doesn’t come from your heart, music just doesn’t work. — Levon Helm

The power of music just kinda kills all those ills; it cures everything and you’ve got more energy just from the music. And, I’ve never seen it fail. It’s good for ya; real good for ya. — Levon Helm

Drums usually seem to tune themselves. — Levon Helm

Anytime I switch to another instrument, I immediately turn it into another kind of drum so that I can understand it better. — Levon Helm

With horns and a full rhythm section, the drums always looked like the best seat in the house. — Levon Helm

A friend of mine took me to Memphis advised me that I should get in the musicians’ union. He gave me a set of drums and said, Stay on the job, son. — Levon Helm

Forever Young, by Dylan, is one of my favorite songs. — Levon Helm

Lord, when the song wants to pick up and go a little faster towards the end, it’s hard for me to resist. — Levon Helm

Songs don’t wear out. Good songs are good now. If they were a comfort during those hard times in the past, they’ll be a comfort in today’s age. — Levon Helm

If you feel like you’re getting into a rut with a song, a night off usually fixes it. — Levon Helm

If you give it good concentration, good energy, good heart and good performance, the song will play you. — Levon Helm

There were no rules, other than that the song should sound good and be fun to play. — Levon Helm

Most of our stuff was trial and error. You live with a tape recorder, you turn it on, you play the song and you listen to it. — Levon Helm

You can either make it come around or you can’t. By the time we would be ready to record a song, we would know for sure that it was the best way we could do it. — Levon Helm

I had throat cancer, and I had to have radiation treatments, and I couldn’t sing for a long time; and this was in ’97. I had 28 radiation treatments. I didn’t die, thank God. — Levon Helm

The Jungle Bush Beaters didn’t last too long as a group, but we had a pretty good time while we did. — Levon Helm

By the time The Band did The Last Waltz, the chemistry had changed, and it wasn’t a thrill anymore to live that studio kind of life. — Levon Helm

Conway Twitty was always our local hero while I was growing up. He had a series of good bands. I wanted to sit in, if Conway would let me. And he did a couple of times. — Levon Helm

I don’t hear record companies coming up with any good ideas or suggestions. Historically, if it ain’t their idea, it ain’t no good, so you got that to contend with. — Levon Helm

If things are going slow, I’m itchy. — Levon Helm

Good times don’t last long sometimes. — Levon Helm

I love horns, and the bigger the band, the better it sounds to my ear. — Levon Helm

Don’t we all want what’s best for each other? — Levon Helm

When the second record came out, they started calling it The Band. I voted to call it The Crackers. I’m no fool. — Levon Helm