Amy Helm

Amy Helm (born December 3, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is the daughter of drummer Levon Helm and singer Libby Titus.[1] She is a past member of the Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band and Ollabelle,[2][3] as well as her own touring band.

Amy Helm
Helm in 2015
Helm in 2015
Background information
Birth nameAmy Helm
Born (1970-12-03) December 3, 1970
Woodstock, New York, U.S.
GenresFolk rock, folk, rock, blues, country, Americana
Occupation(s)Musician, producer, artist
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, mandolin, bass, drums
Years active1997–present
Websitewww.amyhelm.com

Her debut solo album, Didn’t It Rain, was released in July 2015,[4] and her second release This Too Shall Light was released September 2018 on Yep Roc Records.[5]

Helm conducted an in-depth interview about her life and career with The Pods & Sods Network in 2016.[6] That year she and her band performed at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.[7]

Early life

Helm was born in Woodstock, New York, United States, and spent her childhood between Woodstock, Los Angeles, and New York City. She attended Trinity High School[1] where she studied jazz with Dr. Aaron Bell, while singing in bands, playing in New York City clubs and bars.

Music career

In 1999, Helm joined her father in his blues band The Barn Burners. They toured the country playing traditional blues music.

In 2001, she was a co-founding member of alt-country ensemble Ollabelle, which toured and recorded for 10 years, releasing three critically acclaimed albums, Ollabelle (2004), Riverside Battle Songs (2006), and Neon Blue Bird (2011).

In 2004, she and her father built the Midnight Ramble concerts at his home in Woodstock, New York. The concerts began as a rent party and grew into a Woodstock institution, featuring artists such as Emmylou Harris, Allen Toussaint, Elvis Costello, Phil Lesh, and many others.

Growing out of the Midnight Rambles, Levon Helm recorded his first album in 25 years, Dirt Farmer, which was produced by Amy and Larry Campbell. Dirt Farmer went on to win the Grammy award for Best Traditional Folk Album in February 2008. In 2009, they recorded Electric Dirt, which won the first-ever Grammy award for Best Americana Album in 2010. She also was a part of the live album Ramble at the Ryman, recorded in 2008 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. This album won the 2012 Grammy award for Best Americana Album.

Helm has extensive credits as a background vocalist and whistler on records by artists such as Steely Dan, Mercury Rev, Linda Thompson, William Bell, Rich Robinson, and Rosanne Cash.

In 2015, she released her first solo album, Didn't It Rain which featured her father's last recorded drum performances. The album also featured members of the Midnight Ramble Band and Amy's touring band, as well as other players and singers such as John Medeski, Bill Payne, and Catherine Russell.

In 2017, Helm recorded her second album with producer Joe Henry in Los Angeles. The album features musicians Doyle Bramhall II, Tyler Chester, Jen Condos, and Jay Bellerose, as well as a background vocal section consisting of Allison Russell, JT Nero, and Adam Minkoff. The album, entitled This Too Shall Light, was released on September 21, 2018 on Yep Roc Records.[8] The album's title track premiered on Rolling Stone Country.[9]

Helm currently tours year round with her own band and continues to perform and produce concerts at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, the home of the Midnight Ramble.

Personal life

Helm resides in Woodstock, New York. She is the stepdaughter of Donald Fagen from the band Steely Dan through his marriage to Libby Titus in 1993.

Discography

Studio albums
  • Didn’t It Rain (eOne, 2015)
  • This Too Shall Light (Yep Rock, 2018)
  • What the Flood Leaves Behind (Renew, 2021)

As guest

With Levon Helm

  • Souvenir, Vol. 1 (1998)
  • The Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol. 2 (2005)
  • Dirt Farmer (2007)
  • Angels Serenade (2008)
  • Electric Dirt (2009)
  • Ramble at the Ryman (2011)
  • It's Showtime: The Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol. 3 (2014)

With Ollabelle

With others

References
  1. Deming, Mark (2021). "Amy Helm: Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  2. Ledgin, Stephanie P. (2010). Discovering Folk Music. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-2759-9387-0. OCLC 276335257. Ola Belle was such a revered, influential figure, that young artists have promoted her music vigorously in recent years. The group Ollabelle, anchored by Amy Helm—daughter of rock music's Levon Helm of the Band who, in the traditional folk.
  3. Sweet, Brian (2008). Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years. ISBN 978-0-7119-3551-8. OCLC 30913514. The latter group, a roots-rock band, features Fagen's stepdaughter Amy Helm. The intention is that Ollabelle will open the show and then act as backing band for Fagen and Snow. * * * With the passing of the years, it's no secret that like so [...]
  4. Dougherty, Steve (July 21, 2015). "Amy Helm Talks About Her Debut Solo Album, 'Didn't It Rain'". Wsj.com. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  5. "Amy Helm's new album "This Too Shall Light" available for pre-order NOW!". Yep Roc Records. June 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  6. "EM44 – Amy Helm". Podsodcast.com. November 7, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  7. " 2016 Edmonton Folk Fest an understated, wonderful weekend". Edmonton Sun, By Fish Griwkowsky. August 07, 2016
  8. "This Too Shall Light — Amy Helm". Bandcamp. September 21, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  9. Menconi, David (June 22, 2018). "Hear Amy Helm's Cathartic, Harmony Rich 'This Too Shall Light'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
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