Biography
Although he is best known as a member of the Band, Robbie Robertson's own influence on rock music cannot be underestimated. The strength of the Band depended to a large degree on the strength of Robertson's brilliant songwriting, which touched on deep strains of American roots music -- from early folk to contemporary soul. After the Band broke up in 1976, Robertson moved into soundtrack work, scoring Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull and The Color of Money before launching his solo career in 1987. His 1991 album Storyville was targeted at the mainstream, but Robertson found the byways of popular music more intriguing. Most of his solo albums have veered toward the spacy and atmospheric, skills that continued to serve him well on music production for Scorsese.