Bob Dylan Honors ‘Lifelong Friend’ Robbie Robertson

Bob Dylan issued a statement in the wake of Robbie Robertson's death. Dylan kept his note concise about his “lifelong friend” with whom he had a long and fruitful musical relationship.

“This is shocking news,” said Bob Dylan said in a statement posted on his website. “Robbie was a lifelong friend. His passing leaves a vacancy in the world.”

Robbie Robertson played a key role in Bob Dylan’s transition from acoustic troubadour to electric rocker. Robertson and his The Band co-horts, then known as The Hawks, backed Dylan on world tours in the mid-1960s. The move to electric was not well received by many of Bob Dylan’s fans. The jeers were too much for Levon Helm to take and he took a two-year hiatus from touring with the ensemble.

In 1967 Bob Dylan and The Band teamed for sessions in Woodstock, New York at both Bob Dylan’s house and in the basement of The Band’s house of Big Pink. The results were finally released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes. The Band went on to find fame on their own starting with the group’s debut album, 1968’s Music From Big Pink which stemmed from The Basement Tapes sessions.

The Band joined forces with Bob Dylan once again in 1974 for the album Planet Waves and a huge tour together. Dylan was among the featured performers at The Last Waltz, The Band’s farewell concert taped on Thanksgiving Day, 1976.

Robbie Robertson died at age 80 after a long illness.