Robbie Robertson (1)Rezensionen

1 Coyote Dance
Backing Vocals – Delphine Robertson
Drums – Sal Fararas
Guitar, Keyboards [Chamberlin] – Bill Dillon
Written-By, Programmed By – Dave Pickell, Jim Wilson
4:07
2 Mahk Jchi (Heartbeat Drum Song)
Drums – Benito Concha
Guitar [Guitorgan] – Bill Dillon
Performer – Ulali
Translated By [Saponi] – Lawrence Dunmore
Written-By, Performer – Jen*, Pura Fe*, Soni
4:17
3 Ghost Dance
Bass – Tony Green
Keyboards – Elodie Lauten
Percussion – John Bartlit
Vocals [Intro] – Denis Toupin
Written-By – Robbie Robertson
Written-By, Programmed By – Jim Wilson
5:12
4 The Vanishing Breed
6-String Bass – Bill Dillon
Flute, Keyboards, Programmed By – Spotted Eagle*
Guitar [Solo] – Robbie Robertson
Written-By – Douglas Spotted Eagle, Robbie Robertson
4:39
5 It Is A Good Day To Die
Written-By – Robbie Robertson
5:46
6 Golden Feather
Written-By – Robbie Robertson
5:22
7 Akua Tuta
Acoustic Guitar – Jeff Smallwood
Backing Vocals – Claude Pelletter
Bass – Pierre Duchesne
Drums – Denis Toupin
Electric Guitar – Rejean Bouchard
Performer – Kashtin
Violin [Alto] – Daniel Jean
Written-By, Performer – Claude McKenzie, Florent Vollant
4:51
8 Words Of Fire, Deeds Of Blood
Written-By – Robbie Robertson
4:52
9 Cherokee Morning Song
Arranged By – Rita Coolidge, Robbie Robertson
Guitar [Guitorgan], Omnichord – Bill Dillon
Performer – Coolidge, Laura Satterfield, Priscilla Coolidge
2:58
10 Skinwalker
Bass – Tony Green
Written-By, Guitar [Solo] – Robbie Robertson
Written-By, Keyboards, Organ, Programmed By – Patrick Leonard
5:56
11 Ancestor Song
Performer – Kevin Tarrant, Louis Mofsie, Randy Whitehead, The Silvercloud Singers, Troy Richardson, Ulali
Written-By – Traditional
Written-By, Performer – Jen*, Pura Fe*, Soni
2:54
12 Twisted Hair
Programmed By – Jim Wilson
Vocals – Bonnie Jo Hunt
Voice – Robbie Robertson
Written-By – Dave Carson*, Jim Wilson
3:23

A beautifully illustrated story brings to life the true story of the legendary Peacemaker and Hiawatha.

1 Robbie Robertson– Making A Noise (Olympic Version)
Remix [New Mix] – Dan Gellert
Written-By – Robertson*
3:51
2 Robbie Robertson– Stomp Dance (Unity)
Featuring – The Six Nations Womens Singers*
Written-By – Robertson*, Wilson*
4:47
3 Robbie Robertson– Unbound (Glen Ballard Remix)
Remix – Glen Ballard
Written-By – Robertson*, Gordine*
4:37
4 Robbie Robertson– Ghost Dance (New Mix)
Drums [New Mix] – Walfredo Reyes, Jr.*
Remix – Dan Gellert
Written-By – Robertson*, Wilson*
5:15
5 Robbie Robertson & The Red Road Ensemble– Coyote Dance
Written-By – Pickell*, Robertson*
4:07
6 Robbie Robertson– In The Blood
Written-By – Robertson*, Gordine*
4:33
7 Robbie Robertson– The Code Of Handsome Lake
Written-By – Robertson*
6:10
8 Robbie Robertson & The Red Road Ensemble– Mahk Jchi (Heartbeat Drum Song)
Written-By – Kreisberg*, Dunmore*, Pura Fe*, Moreno*
4:17
9 Robbie Robertson– Sacrifice
Featuring – Leonard Peltier
Written-By – Robertson*, Peltier*, de Vries*
6:18
10 Robbie Robertson– The Sound Is Fading
Arranged By – Robertson*, Hicks-Manning*
Featuring – Leah Hicks-Manning
Written-By – Traditional
5:01
11 Robbie Robertson & The Red Road Ensemble– Golden Feather (New Mix)
Remix [New Mix] – Dan Gellert
Written-By – Robertson*
5:24
12 Robbie Robertson– Peyote Healing
Featuring – Johnny Mike, Verdell Primeaux
Written-By – Robertson*, Mike*, de Vries*, Primeaux*
6:10
Bonus Track
13 Robbie Robertson– Take Your Partner By The Hand (New Mix)
Featuring – Howie B.
Remix [New Mix] – Dan Gellert
Written-By – Bernstein*, Robertson*
6:57

This book is about a man that lost everything including his home but also his wife and kids to evil. The book is a tale about the journey to recovery and also through the lives of some of the people in the story. Because of some of the evil looking images I would say that the book would be best for later primary age students.

Have you ever read Longfellow’s poem “Hiawatha”? If you have, you should know that it’s grossly inaccurate and highly insensitive. If you want to hear the real story of Hiawatha, I would suggest picking up this book, “Hiawatha and the Peacemaker”. It is based on Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) oral tradition and respectfully tells the story of how Hiawatha came to unite the five tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy.

When Hiawatha’s wife and three daughters are killed by the evil Onandaga chief, Tadodaho, Hiawatha is filled with anger and lust for revenge. In the midst of his pain, a quiet stranger comes to him and asks Hiawatha to help him carry a new message of healing to the peoples of the five nations. Hiawatha agrees to travel with the Peacemaker, but remains unconvinced that the people can be united. The Peacemaker and Hiawatha visit each of the tribes in turn, carrying the message of the Great Law and peace for all. Their last stop is the home of the Onandaga and the vicious chief, Tadodaho. Will they be able to bring peace among the five nations?

I love this book. And one of the reasons I love it is that it has so many pictures of the Bible in it. For one, Hiawatha and the Peacemaker are like Moses and Aaron. Moses, like the Peacemaker, was not a good speaker and consequently needed Aaron (Hiawatha) to speak for him. For another, Tadodaho, twisted and bent with snakes in his hair, is so much like us without Jesus. Tadodaho is also like Paul. When God saved him he was an evil persecutor of God’s people. But afterwards God used him to be the one who looked after all the children of God. I love the way healing and hope is brought to pass in this story.

[Content Warning: This book might be too scary for younger readers. The picture of Tadodaho with snakes slithering in his hair is a little frightening, and the story is a bit mature. I wouldn’t recommend the book for toddlers.]

I recommend this book. It’s a beautiful story of hope and healing, with gorgeous illustrations and wonderful correlations to the Gospel.

Stunning oil illustrations and a rich text tell the story of Hiawatha and the creation of the Great Iroquois Nation. Includes a CD with a song written by the author about Hiawatha.

The Iroquois legend of the prophet Deganawida (the Peacemaker) and his disciple Hiawatha, who together brought unity and peace to the warring Iroquois tribes in precolonial North America, is retold for children in this beautiful picture-book from Mohawk and Cayuga-descended musician Robbie Robertson, and Caldecott Honor-winning Euro-American illustrator David Shannon. Consumed by grief and rage at the killing of his wife and children by the forces of the terrible Onondaga chief, Tadodaho, Mohawk warrior Hiawatha is set on revenge, until the arrival of the mysterious Peacemaker, a quiet man who travels in a stone canoe, and speaks of the Great Law of Peace that will unite all mankind under one tree. Won over to this new vision, Hiawatha becomes the Peacemaker's spokesman, and together they travel to the different Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nations, convincing them one by one to join their new league. Eventually, only the Onondaga are left to convince, but first the snake-bedeviled Tadodaho must be cured and forgiven. When this is accomplished, the members of the new Iroquois Confederacy - Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca and Onondaga** - bury their weapons underneath a great pine tree, and usher in a new era of peace and cooperation...

Many readers might be familiar with the name Hiawatha from Longfellow's famous poem, The Song of Hiawatha, but the story told there is almost completely the poet's own, and bears little resemblance to the stories told by the Haudenosaunee themselves. I myself have never read the Longfellow, although I would like to at some point. I am familiar with this story however, having read the fuller, adult version in Paul A.W. Wallace's 1946 White Roots of Peace: The Iroquois Book of Life, which is cited by Robertson in his back matter as a source. I therefore went into Hiawatha and the Peacemaker already knowing the story, and curious to see how it would be retold for children. What I discovered was an absolutely beautiful book, one which retold the story in such a way as to make the Peacemaker's message most powerful. By focusing on Hiawatha, and his journey from grief and anger to acceptance and forgiveness, Robertson demonstrates how the Peacemaker's vision has both personal and political aspects to it. As I commented in my review of the Wallace retelling, "this is a story whose political and religious components are inseparable," and it is clear that although it is a tale about the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy - a powerful tribal alliance whose structure would provide inspiration to the founding fathers, in their creation of a new form of government in the American state - it is also a tale about the individual's struggle to find the right way through life. There are interesting elements of the story that have been left out - the fact that Deganawida is often thought to have been Huron, an outsider and potential enemy to the Iroquois peoples, for instance, or that some retelling claim he was (like Jesus) the product of a virgin birth - but that makes sense, as the narrative focus here is on the disciple, rather than the prophet. Although I would have liked to see more information in the afterword, about these matters, or about the eventual structure of the Iroquois Confederacy - the name Tadodaho, for instance, is used to this day for the traditional leader chosen to preside over the Grand Council of the Iroquois League - I also wasn't terribly exercised by their absence.

As poignant and powerful as Robertson's retelling is, the artwork here from Shannon is equally moving. Done in oil paint, the illustrations are vividly colorful and immensely expressive. I got a shiver down my spine, looking at the image of Hiawatha speaking, with Deganawida behind him, and am little appalled that this didn't receive a Caldecott nod. In any case, this was simply a wonderful book all around, with a fascinating story and beautiful artwork. It explores an aspect of American history - the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy - that many young people may be unaware of. It's fairly long and text-heavy for a picture-book, so I would recommend it to readers who are on the older end of the picture-book audience. Perhaps ages 7 and up.

** The Iroquois Confederacy is now also known as the Six Nations, as they were joined by their linguistically-related cousins, the Tuscarora, in 1722.

Boy...I got to the end of this thinking, "I don't think I really wanted to know that much about Robbie Robertson." There were entertaining parts (like the whole mafia family thing), and I did (mostly) get what I came for in learning more about the creative process within The Band, a group whose output makes me highly nostalgic, which is why I'm bumping this to 3 stars...though not without feeling highly suspect about it all. It's a memoir, so to say that it felt one-sided is perhaps moot, but it definitely felt a bit too self-aggrandizing, especially in light of what other band members had reported over the years. It was also silly of me to not remember, going into this, how anything connected to Bob Dylan is just one big Boys' Club, and it really wore me down to hear Robertson talk about women. That's great he has a photographic memory, but I don't really need to hear about all the special women he bagged while on tour with The Hawks. It's rock'n'roll; I get it...I know it's happening regardless of what you say. But to reveal as much as he did also lets on to the misogyny and abuse going on. He couldn't even talk about women artists as peers--in nearly every instance, he talks about their appearance before their talent. It really bummed me out.

So...I guess I got a lot from this memoir, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and it wasn't flattering.

Robbie Robertson of The Band is a great storyteller and what a story he has to tell in his memoir Testimony. He started playing with Ronnie Hawkins when he was a young teenager, worked with Bob Dylan and some of the best musicians of his era, and ended his rock and roll road career with one of the greatest concerts of all time captured in Martin Scorcese's The Last Waltz. The story is also very sad as one singer after another succumbs to drugs and alcohol. While Robertson managed to keep himself together, probably because of his intense commitment to his music, other members of the band were pulled in and eventually led to the end of the group after some 16 years on the road. Robertson ends the memoir with the concert at Winterland. He has gone on to work with Scorcese on other films. Garth Hudson is the only other member of the group still alive. In the end, the story is bittersweet.

The mystique surrounding The Band, Bob Dylan, Big Pink, and the Woodstock and Saugerties area has always been close to my heart. My husband and I had a summer place in the area - granted it was several years after they had left - and I always kind of hoped I would run into some of these people on the back roads. So it was very interesting for me to read about The Band's life there, their music, their families, etc. Full of anecdotes and snippets of all the famous people, musical or otherwise, who populated their world was fascinating and enjoyable to read. If you're a fan, you should definitely like this book.½

Robertson was the guitarist and principal songwriter with the rock band The Band. Born in Toronto he joined Ronnie Hawkins band The Hawks which eventually became the band for Bob Dylan's Going Electric tour, Eventually the Hawks became The Band producing seven studio albums and ending their collaboration with a farewell concert in San Francisco called The Last Waltz which was filmed by Martin Scorsese.

This is a very detail autobiography full of very personal details about Robertson, his band mates, friends and supporters many very famous and house hold names. A good study of the environment around a rock & roll band in the 1960's and '70's.

This was a thrilling ride for the whole way through. Robertson manages to weave clocks of story together to form a coherent, persuasive, defining, and momentous whole. There are so many anecdotes and short snippets here to savour and take solace in. Being a huge member of The Band, I also found that (since the work revolved around its inception and duration) that this effectually served as both a prime piece for Robertson's life as well as The Band's career. Overall, it was a great ride and I loved every minute of it.

5 stars.

A caveat concerning this review is that I read Robertson's Testimony just after reading Helm's This Wheel's On Fire, and it is safe to say that the two accounts do not mesh well in certain areas. To name a few, would be the treatment of Muddy Waters at the Last Waltz, how the other band members felt about the Last Waltz to begin with, why Richard Manual stopped writing, and the biggie, the publishing.

The way the publishing was handled was the primary cause of animosity between Robertson and Helm; Robertson barely touches upon it, and quite frankly, his account is not very believable. Helm addresses it throughout his book, and while he does sound like a musician scorned, he consistently sticks up for his band mates, and history seems to bear him out.

Testimony itself is very well written, extremely entertaining, and most insightful. Even though it is close to 500 pages, it is still a fast read. But if you are looking for a history of The Band, this may leave you wanting a bit. This book is mostly about Robertson, and while he is an incredible musician and song writer, who lived through one of the most transcendent eras in Rock 'N' Roll, this book often crosses the line from a Who's Who of the period to an exercise in name dropping.

Mostly, if you want to get to better know the members who comprised The Band, I would advise you to get Helm's book; Helm does a great job of developing each member's character throughout his narrative. Robertson too often refers to his band mates as 'the guys' and sometimes gives an obligatory one line description of each, but that is it. They remain cardboard characters.

Finally, at the very end of the book, Robertson describes the day after the Last Waltz when the group was to meet in a recording studio and no one shows up. That's how he ends the book. It is infuriating. If you read Helm's book, well you would know where everyone was on that day. Robertson too often demonstrates his distance from his band mates, which was the complaint about him in the first place.

To summarize, this is the lowest rating that I ever gave a book that I so enjoyed reading. I guess the reason being was that I was a bit frustrated with it. Oh, and Helm's book goes beyond the Last Waltz, he painfully describes both Manuel's and Danko's deaths. Testimony was far better written than Wheel's On Fire, but it is not as satisfying.½

This book was more difficult for me to read than the other books I have read this semester. I really liked the message of this book, forgiveness and peace, but I also feel that this book might be hard to digest for young children. I liked this book, but I do not know that I like it as a children's book. I loved the illustrations in this story and I think they really added to the story. Indigenous culture is not something I am very familiar with or well-versed in so I feel that having indigenous-style art added to my understanding of the story and the milieu in which it existed. I also found it interesting that David Shannon was the illustrator of this story because he also illustrated "No, David!" a very, very different story with a much different tone. It was cool to see the duality of this illustrator as well as being able to identify his style through the similarities between these illustrations and those in "No, David!" I also loved the character development of Hiawatha. He began angry at Tadodaho for bringing such destruction into his life and killing his family, but he learned that he had to let go of his anger to continue growing even though it was very difficult to do. The most significant revelation he had to me was when he said, "But as I spoke, I felt something come over me: Forgiveness. I had not been able to save my family, but on this journey I had been able to forgive myself." I do feel that this book pushes readers to think about tough issues because learning to forgive yourself and give yourself grace is one of the most difficult things to do, but not something that we talk about frequently. It also pushes readers to see that people are complex; even though Tadodaho caused a lot of devastation, he still deserved kindness from others and he still deserved to find peace.

This book takes place during the 14th century and Hiawatha translates the peacemakers message of unity and not only did it bring peace among them, but it also changed how the once opposing tribe ran things. The opposing tribe was known as the Iroquois. Later the way that things are governed leads the way to what we now called democracy. The story of Hiawatha and the Iroquois is believed to have inspired the authors of the U.S. Constitution. This is a good book for grade higher grade levels due to the lengthy text. I would use this book to teach my students about history.

I really loved this story--sometimes kids' books like this that are in that funny historical-mythic realm get filed under "original content by," and other times as retellings of myth, but the story of Hiawatha and the Peacemaker and how they united the nations and healed the evil Tadodaho found its way immediately into my heart as felt history, regardless of the (somewhat obscure) facts. History, but also a story about pain and forgiveness and new beginnings. Good one.

This is a great book by one of the true legends of music and one of the great songwriters and leaders of a great band. He discusses his many influences in music.

In Testimony, this wheel's not quite on fire, and the cup's only half full. The Band is in my top 5 of all time, but I was more a Levon woman than Robbie. He had the reputation of being "it's all about me" which now I see, if his memoir is to be believed, is more that Robbie had more ambition for them than any other single member. He's a good writer as well as being a great songwriter and musician.

One quarter of the book is about The Hawks, one quarter about Dylan, one quarter about The Band. There are some truly outstanding moments. Musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, and the Beatles (sans Paul) just seem to meander in and out to jam. There's also a great deal of humor and funny stories. My favorite is when Robbie's girlfriend Dominique tells Joni Mitchell to put down her guitar and stop singing so they could all talk!

The Last Waltz, the Band's final concert, ends the book. What? Rick, Richard, and Levon have all died. No mention of that at all. Surprising and I can see no reason.

This book was a good read, a little too wordy for younger children. Yet had beautiful and vibrant pictures.½

Hiawatha and the Peacemaker was the first Native American traditional story i have ever read, but with that said it does a fantastic job at recreating stories from the past. I liked this story because it sends a great message of coming together as one while also providing very detailed and vivid imagery throughout. The message of unity and peace is very prominent in this story. As the main character travels from place to place in the story, he goes through many challenges to finally unite the five tribes. The illustrations authentically picture these events while also providing insight on Native clothing, housing, tools and other ideals. The main goal of this story is to instill a message of peace between all people. It relays this message while also allowing the reader to getter a better grasp on Native American culture.

I really enjoyed this audiobook of Robbie Robertson's memoir dealing with his life until the break-up of The Band. Robertson talks about growing up in Toronto until, at the age of 16, he joined Ronny Hawkins' band and started touring. He developed his guitar playing chops and started writing songs with Hawkins. He also met the rest of the guys who would go on to form The Band. Levon Helm was the only American in The Band and Robertson and Helm were like brothers for much of the time. He and the other members, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel, had all played with Hawkins but they moved on in the mid 60s. They met Bob Dylan and started playing as his back up band when he decided to move into electronic music. Dylan and his family were living in upstate New York in a little town called Woodstock. So Robertson and all the other guys moved up there to work on their own music. It was the people in Woodstock who started calling them "The Band". They cut their first album "Music from Big Pink" and musical history was made. Robertson also talks about meeting the woman who became his wife and their love affair. In fact, Robertson talks about everything from the music to the drugs to the famous people he met without pulling any punches as far as I can see. Drugs were everywhere, part of the rock and roll lifestyle. Robertson managed to stay away from heroin but some of his bandmates were users. In the end it was the drug addiction that did in The Band. But before they completely broke up they did one final concert in San Francisco. If you haven't seen the movie "The Last Waltz" (although there can't be too many of those left in North America) then you might want to see it before you get to that part of the book; but for those of us who have watched it (multiple times for many of us) then this will send you back to watch it again. In fact, that's how I plan to spend this evening.½

caveat: i am a giant 'band' fan and also played his solo debut robbie robertson (1987) on repeat through most of 87/88 (and which has a track called testimony on it). which is to say, i was a bit stupid-excited for this book.

robertson is a storyteller as a songwriter, and that transfers well to his memoir. there wasn't a huge amount of new information for me in testimony, yet it was still very enjoyable and engaging. while, of course, this is only robertson's perspective on the years spanning his time with ronnie hawkins, the hawks, and the band (this memoir really only covers this specific era, with a bit of robertson's early life starting things off), it feels sensitive and respectful towards the other players, even when robertson is writing about the harder times they endured personally, and professionally. (and it's telling what was left out, given the ink that has previously been spilled in the media over animosities.) i hope that is the case, anyway... the sensitivity. i love all of the guys in the band. there is no 'favourite beatle' for me -- though if forced (forced) to choose, hello rick danko! robertson somehow manages to convey both a focused yet zen personality, which i am not sure if i am totally buying into. (heh! sorry.) but it sure does help with the flow of the story.

a couple of 'yeah.... but?' moments cropped up for me during the read, where i was left with the feeling of wanting more: a) robertson references photographs and photo shoots quite a bit, yet the 2 sections containing images - thought wonderful to see - felt sparse. i would have loved a bit more photographic support, though recognize that rights may have been tricky to negotiate/acquire. b) some things i thought he might write about just weren't covered. one example, you know how in the last waltz interviews with the guys are interspersed with the musical performances? i would have really dug reading about that aspect of the production. but these are pretty minor quibbles on my part.

overall, i keep thinking this book is a lovely reflection on a pretty extraordinary time in the music world. also, #GoCanada

Really good book about a fascinating time and some extraordinarily talented people. Kind of annoying/amusing and increasingly improbable after awhile how the brilliant idea in the room always seems to be Robertson's, but still a compelling read.½

Summary: The book talks about different aspects of Native life. The book shows conflict and resolution by the tribes coming together as one to end war between one another. The book also teaches grief, hatred, and forgiveness because the Indian lost his wife and daughters due to the fighting of the tribes and he forgives the one who killed them to heal him.

Personal Reflection: I personally related to this book right off the back because I am Native American and I am proud of my culture. I always think the stories and backgrounds of Natives are so interesting and there is always more to learn.

Classroom Extensions: One thing you could do for an extension with this book is to have the students color a picture of a Indian. Another extension you could do would be to engage the students in a conversation and allow them to share if any of them know their backgrounds. With that you could send home a assignment with the children for their parents that night to sit down and tell the kids what their backgrounds are and they could come to class the next day and share what they learned.

Robertson tells in the text and sings on the accompanying recording the tale of Hiawatha (not to be confused with the fictional character of the same name in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha) the historical Mohawk warrior who became the spokesman for the Peacemaker, Deganawida. Together they put an end to intertribal warfare in the northeastern American continent, and were driving forces in the formation of The Five Nations (and later the Six Nations), the Haudenosaunee, the People of the Long House, the Iroquois Confederacy, whose governing council greatly influenced several framers of the United States Constitution, particularly Franklin, Hancock, and Jefferson.

In his acknowledgements and author’s notes Robertson thanks his son Sebastian and Six Nation leaders and authors for their historical research on the subject, but notes the inspiration for the song, and then the book came from his experience of hearing the story as a nine-year-old told by a revered elder in a native tongue in a long house on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve in Ontario.

The text of the book and Shannon’s bold colors and line bring forth the drama of the story: a powerful struggle between among people, as the spiritual and psychological forces of fear, hatred, revenge and war are manifested in individuals, and then exorcised and transformed into a powerful force of peace and righteousness.