Editing Levon Helm (section)

===The Band===
{{see also|The Band}}
Helm returned to the group, then referred to simply as "the band”, as it was known around Woodstock. While contemplating a recording contract, Helm had dubbed the band "The Crackers”, but when Robertson and their new manager [[Albert Grossman]] worked out the contracts, the group's name was given as "the Band”. Under these contracts, the Band was contracted to Grossman, who in turn contracted their services to [[Capitol Records]]. This arrangement allowed the Band to release recordings on other labels if the work was done in support of Dylan.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} Thus the Band was able to play on Dylan's ''[[Planet Waves]]'' album and to release ''[[The Last Waltz]]'', both on other labels. The Band also recorded their own album, ''[[Music from Big Pink]]'' (1968), which catapulted them into stardom. Helm was the Band's only American member.

[[File:The Band in Hamburg, 1971.jpg|thumb|left|Helm, center, performing with [[the Band]], Hamburg, 1971]]
On ''Music from Big Pink'', Manuel was the most prominent vocalist, and Helm sang backup and harmony, with the exception of "[[The Weight]]". However, as Manuel's health deteriorated and [[Robbie Robertson]]'s songwriting increasingly looked to the South for influence and direction, subsequent albums relied more and more on Helm's vocals, alone or in harmony with Danko. Helm was primarily a drummer and vocalist and increasingly sang lead, although, like all his bandmates, he was also a multi-instrumentalist. On occasion, Manuel switched to drums while Helm played [[mandolin]], guitar, or bass guitar (while Danko played [[fiddle]]) on some songs. Helm played the 12-string guitar backdrop to "Daniel and the Sacred Harp".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.jp/hideki_wtnb/bandplay.html |title=Who Plays What Instruments "Index" |publisher=Geocities.jp |access-date=2011-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014063454/http://www.geocities.jp/hideki_wtnb/bandplay.html |archive-date=October 14, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Levon Helm with drums.jpg|thumb|Helm with the Band at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 1976 (photo: [[David Gans (musician)|David Gans]])]]
Helm remained with the Band until their farewell performance on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, which was the subject of the documentary film ''[[The Last Waltz]],'' directed by [[Martin Scorsese]]. Helm repudiated his involvement with ''The Last Waltz'' shortly after the completion of its final scenes. In his autobiography, Helm criticized the film and Robertson who produced it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Helm |first1=Levon |last2=Davis |first2=Stephen |author2-link=Stephen Davis (music journalist) |title=This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band |date=1993 |publisher=[[Information Today|Plexus Publishing]] |location=London |page=276 |isbn=9780688109066 |url=https://archive.org/details/thiswheelsonfire0000helm/page/276/ |access-date=13 November 2022}}</ref>