Question: What Do A Baby, A British Knighthood, Hollywood, Turkey Scratch, A Hit Tune, And Dirt Farming All Have In Common?




LEVON AT TURKEY SCRATCH

 

For the answer to that question one has to travel back more than 70 years to a wide spot sitting at the junction of two dusty dirt roads sitting astride the Phillips-Lee county line.

Born to a cotton-farming family on May 26, 1940 in Elaine was a baby [no not the baby in the headline] named Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm. He grew up, however, in Turkey Scratch at the junction of those two farming roads in the middle of nowhere to become a major player in rock that would burst onto the national stage many years later.

He is known to most folks as  Levon.

A blues great -- Robert Lockwood, Jr. -- was also born in Turkey Scratch on March 27, 1915, but grew up in Marvell.

Turkey Scratch probably got its name from the fact Arkansas, before the vast forests were cleared by farmers and logging, was abundant with turkeys.  

And that is where we get, as Paul Havey used to say, "the rest of the story."

On Christmas Day 2010 a new son was born to Sir Elton John, 62, and partner David Furnish, 48.  The boy's name is Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, with the third name being recognizing John's 1971 hit tune "Levon" and has a line about being born on Christmas day.





FURNISH & JOHN

But  what's the connection to Turkey Scratch, Levon Helm and Phillips County?  The name "Levon" was reportedly taken from Levon Helms, singer and drummer of The Band which was, at the time, John and his collaborator's favorite group.  Bernie Taupin, who wrote the lyrics for "Levon," was inspired by The Band's co-founder, drummer, and singer Levon Helm to name the title character after him. The Band was apparently Elton John's and Bernie Taupin's favorite group in those days.

"LEVON" The Lyrics

Levon wears his war wound like a crown
He calls his child Jesus
`Cause he likes the name
And he sends him to the finest school in town

Levon, Levon likes his money
He makes a lot they say
Spend his days counting
In a garage by the motorway

He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day
When the New York Times said God is dead
And the war's begun
Alvin Tostig has a son today

And he shall be Levon
And he shall be a good man
And he shall be Levon
In tradition with the family plan
And he shall be Levon
And he shall be a good man
He shall be Levon

Levon sells cartoon balloons in town
His family business thrives
Jesus blows up balloons all day
Sits on the porch swing watching them fly

And Jesus, he wants to go to Venus
Leaving Levon far behind
Take a balloon and go sailing
While Levon, Levon slowly dies

Levon was the son of Nell and Diamond Helm, who were cotton farmers and also great lovers of music who encouraged their children to play and sing. Levon began playing the guitar at the age of eight and also played drums during his formative years. He saw Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys at the age of six and decided right then to become a musician.

Arkansas in the 1940s and 50's was at the confluence of a variety of musical styles -- blues, country and R&B -- that later became known as rock and roll. Helm was influenced by all these styles listening to the Grand Ole Opry on radio station WSM and R&B on radio station WLAC out of Nashville, Tennessee. He also saw traveling shows such as F.S. Walcott's Rabbit's Foot Minstrels that featured top African-American artists of the time.

Another early influence on Helm was the work of blues harmonica, guitarist and singer Sonny Boy Williamson II, who played blues and early R&B on the King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena and performed regularly in Marvell with blues guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood.

In his 1993 autobiography, This Wheel's on Fire - Levon Helm and the Story of The Band, Helm describes watching Williamson's drummer, James "Peck" Curtis, intently during a live performance in the early 1950s and later imitating this R&B drumming style. Helm established his first band, The Jungle Bush Beaters, while in high school.

Helm also witnessed some of the earliest performances by southern country, blues and rockabilly artists such as Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, Bo Diddley and a fellow Arkansan, Ronnie Hawkins.

At age 17, Helm began playing in clubs and bars around Helena. After graduating from high school, he was invited to join Hawkins' band, The Hawks, who were a popular bar and club act across the South and also in Canada, where rockabilly acts were very popular. Soon after Helm joined The Hawks, they moved to Toronto where, in 1959, they signed with Roulette Records and released several singles, including a few hits.

From there his star continued to rise, including being a member of  The Band that did backup for Bob Dylan.

Helm has also had a considerable career as an actor. He has appeared in the movies The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Shooter, Smooth Talk, The Right Stuff, The Dollmaker, Feeling Minnesota, End of the Line, In the Electric Mist, Staying Together and portrayed Loretta Lynn's father in the film Coal Miner's Daughter opposite Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones.

He did suffer trauma during his career -- addiction to drugs and dealing with throat cancer.

Helm and family eventually settled in Woodstock, NY where he also has a studio and has performances -- known as Midnight Rambles -- which are open free to the public.

In the fall 2007 saw the release of Dirt Farmer, Helm's first studio solo album since 1982. Dedicated to Helm's parents and co-produced by his daughter Amy, the album combines traditional tunes Levon recalled from his youth with newer songs (by Steve Earle, Paul Kennerley and others) which flow from similar historical streams.

The album was released to almost immediate critical acclaim, and earned him a Grammy Award in the Traditional Folk Album category for 2007.

Helm declined to attend the Grammy Awards ceremony, instead holding a "Midnight Gramble" and celebrating the birth of his grandson, named Levon (Lee) Henry Collins—Levon's birth name is Mark Lavon Helm and he was called by his middle name since a young age.

There is also a film about Helm's life: Ain't in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm.

HELM WALKING UP TO HELENA'S CONFEDERATE CEMETERY

As a drummer and vocalist for The Band, Levon Helm contributed to some of rock's most enduring classics. This eye-opening documentary examines what happened after the group dissolved, and the demons that haunted Helm until his solo comeback in 2007. Candid interviews and backstage footage reveal Helm's battles with drugs, cancer, the death of his bandmates and financial ruin, as well as the drive that led to his Grammy-winning return.

Helm's home page is here.