Mark Lavon Helm (Levon Helm)

Mark Lavon Helm, later changed by his band mates to Levon, is born in the spring of 1940 to Nell and Diamond Helm in Midway, Arkansas. Levon has a sister Linda who, when they are younger, sings with him at 4H contest and county fairs until their mother makes Linda quit. Levon also has a younger brother named Wheeler and older sister Modena. When he is young he helps his father on their cotton farm and on the weekend he goes listen to the local bands play music. When he graduates from high school he goes to Canada with Ronnie Hawkins and his group the Hawks and they are very successful. While with the Hawks, he meets a lot of influential people including Conway Twitty as well as the men who would later form the group called The Band. Levon is the drummer for the...