May 26, 1940

Mark Lavon “Levon” Helm was born outside Elaine (Phillips County). Helm is best known as the drummer and singer for the Canadian rock group the Band. Following the demise of the Band, he continued to have a successful career leading his own band, as well as acting in numerous motion pictures. In 1993, Helm, with rock writer Stephen Davis, published a book about the Band’s rise to fame, This Wheel’s on Fire. In 1994, Helm was inducted along with the other members of the Band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Helm died of cancer in April 2012.