Levon Helm Expected to Make Full Recovery After Hospitalization

Posted on Dec 13th 2010 8:52PM by Benjy Eisen
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Grammy Award winner Levon Helm had to miss one of his own Midnight Ramble Sessions at his Woodstock homestead this past Saturday as he had been admitted to a hospital in New York earlier in the day. A founding member of the Band, Helm staged a comeback in recent times fueled, in part, by the Midnight Ramble series, during which an ever-revolving cast of special guests and opening bands perform intimate house concerts at Helm's home studio, hosted by the Levon Helm Band. Past guests have included Willie Nelson, My Morning Jacket, Steve Earle, Jenny Lewis, Drive By Truckers and Phil Lesh, just to name a few.

Helm had been hospitalized with a cold and is expected to make a full recovery. "Because he's got COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], a little bit of a cold to you and me is a lot more serious for him," his manager, Barbara O'Brien told regional newspaper the Poughkeepsie Journal. Helm is also a throat cancer survivor, however his current health issue is believed to be unrelated.

The 70-year-old drummer instructed O'Brien to inform the crowd at Saturday's Midnight Ramble that they could exchange their tickets for a full refund or a future event, however many reportedly booed that option in a show of support for Helm, choosing instead to party through it at the Ramble. Levon Helm Studios' chief engineer, Justin Guip, filled in for Helms on drums, while the Wood Brothers opened the show as scheduled.

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