Imagine backing up Bob Dylan in 1965 when the world-famous folk troubadour made history by going electric. That's pretty good for most people.

Now imagine helping to redefine rock 'n' roll with an album called Music From Big Pink, a disc bursting with so much heartfelt playing that it caused Eric Clapton to break up Derek And The Dominoes and want to join the group that recorded it. Not too shabby.

Behind all of this was a Levon Helm. With The Band (formerly The Hawks), his drumming - a rootsy, rustic shuffle that combined southern country, blues and rockabilly - fit like outfit's intuitive musicianship like a well-worn glove.

But it was Helm's singing - his deeply soulful, almost pained delivery is practically impossible to mimic - that made songs such as The Weight, Up On Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down lasting works of art.