Genre: Book
Grade A-
Notable People: Robbie Robertson
Title: Testimony
Review: Robbie, the guitarist, main songwriter and basically the leader, of THE BAND, is a world class raconteur…weaving his Native-American story telling in a fascinating spiral. From his upbringing on the Six Nations Indian Reservation in Ontario, through the wild honky- tonk years playing with Ronnie Hawkins, as The Hawks, to the Dylan- Woodstock years and finally the epic story of the Band up and through the making of the Last Waltz in 1976 (the best rock and roll film ever, directed by Martin Scorsese) and the untimely breakup of the group. It’s a wild tale and extremely well told. If you like the music and the timeless story of this “best-ever” Americana group of musicians, this book is for you. A bit ego-centric and lags in the second half, but a fascinating read…though a sad story in the end, with thee of the group’s members leaving us way too early. It’s also a bit like a Forrest Gump, as Robbie interacts with all the major cultural figures of the second half the 20th century. Very cool stuff.