Album: Dirt Farmer

Introduction
"Dirt Farmer" is the 5th studio album by Levon Helm, released on October 30, 2007. The album marks the drummer and singer's return to taping after nearly a decade-long hiatus due to battles with throat cancer. The 13-track album is an autobiographical and reflective body of work that includes a blend of conventional American folk songs, covers, and initial tunes, all checking out styles of love, life, and the passage of time. Produced by his child Amy Helm and multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, "Dirt Farmer" received crucial recognition and won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Americana Album in 2008.

Background
Levon Helm was a prominent musician and actor best known as the drummer and one of the lead vocalists of The Band. The Band, consisting of Helm, Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, and Garth Hudson, was instrumental in forming the sound of American music throughout the 1960s and 1970s. However, after The Band dissolved in 1976, Helm pursued a solo career and launched 4 studio albums before being diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998. As his battle with cancer progressed, it affected Helm's capability to sing, requiring him to step back from the recording studio.

The idea for "Dirt Farmer" followed Helm's treatments showed to be successful, and his voice began to recover. Daughter Amy and buddy Larry Campbell encouraged him to return to making music and began putting together a group of artists to support him. Motivated by Helm's Arkansas roots, the album provided itself to a more acoustic and natural noise, trying to capture the essence of his upbringing on a cotton farm in the rural South.

Music and Lyrics
"Dirt Farmer" is a collection of tunes with the typical thread of roots in rural America, checking out styles of love, loss, and struggle. The album kicks off with "False Hearted Lover Blues", a traditional folk tune about a fan's deceit. The title track, "Poor Old Dirt Farmer", provides a mournful viewpoint on the obstacles farmers deal with while toiling away in the fields.

Other significant tracks on the album consist of the conventional gospel number "Little Birds", which Helm's mother utilized to sing to him when he was a kid, and the hauntingly beautiful "Wide River to Cross", penned by Buddy and Julie Miller. The latter song handle the style of travelling through life's journey and facing the unknown.

Levon Helm's signature drumming and raw and impassioned vocals shine throughout the album, particularly in his emotional take on the Carter Family's "Single Girl, Married Girl", and the heart-wrenching ballad "Anna Lee", composed by Laurelyn Dossett.

Reception and Legacy
"Dirt Farmer" got prevalent important recognition upon its release. Music publications such as Rolling Stone, AllMusic, and Paste lauded Helm's recover, applauding both his effective and emotive singing efficiencies and the high quality of musicianship on the album. The album peaked at no. 102 on the United States Billboard 200 chart and in 2008 was granted the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.

Tragically, Levon Helm died on April 19, 2012, at the age of 71, catching the throat cancer that had afflicted him for several years. Nevertheless, his legacy resides on through his music, and "Dirt Farmer" stands as a testimony to Helm's resilience, artistry, and connection to his rural roots. The sincere and wholehearted storytelling featured on the album acts as a fitting return for this prominent and extraordinary musician.