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Robbie Robertson’s 2017 memoir “Testimony” has returned to the top of bestseller lists following the guitarist-songwriter-singer’s death. The musician, who led the Canadian-American group the Band to rock prominence in the 1970s, died on Wednesday afternoon after a long illness.
In “Testimony,” written over the course of five years, Robertson writes about his captivating journey that led him to some of the most pivotal events in music history. His story starts off with his unique upbringing on the Six Nations Indian Reserve, where he lived with his half-Jewish and half-Mohawk family, to the gritty streets of Toronto.
His music odyssey begins at 16 when he lands on the Mississippi Delta, the fountainhead of American music, and then ends up on the road with rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks. And of course, Robertson recounts joining Bob Dylan for his seminal 1966 world tour, their ensuing collaborations and the formation of the Band.
The last pages of “Testimony” take place in the aftermath of the band’s last legendary “The Last Waltz” concert, with the four members disbanding and the devastating friendship breakup between Robertson and Levon Helm.
While Robertson’s autobiography doesn’t go into the specifics of their breakup, which has been a point of conjecture for decades, much of the book centers on the friendship that made the band’s bitter ending that much more heartbreaking.
“I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder, reminding me to tread lightly and try to protect my brothers,” he writes of the moment in 1976 when he realized that three of the five Band members were hooked on heroin. “I kept harping to Levon, to Richard and Rick, about finding some kind of sanctuary where we could stop riding so close to the edge.”
Buy Robertson’s memoir “Testimony” on Amazon for $17.99, or try out an audiobook through Audible’s free trial.