Testimony by Robbie Robertson, Jewish/Mohawk, is a memoir, a story, lyrical and true as only he could tell it. It is his contribution to popular music as songwriter and guitarist. He and his partners made music that has endured for decades and has influenced other musicians. Testimony was written over five years of reflection using his unique storyteller's voice to weave together the journey that led him to some of the most pivotal events in music history. He recounts his life on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and Toronto, his odyssey to the Mississippi Delta at sixteen, early years on the road with legend Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, his unexpected ties with the Cosa Nostra, going electric with Bob Dylan on his 1966 world tour, celebrated collaborations and the formation of the Band and forging their own unique sound. This culminated with history's most famous farewell concert, brought to life for all time in Martin Scorsese's movie, The Last Waltz. This is the story of a time and place - the moment when rock 'n roll became life, when legends like Billy Holly and Bo Diddley crisscrossed the circuit of clubs and roadhouses from Texas to Toronto, when the Beatles, Hendrix, the Stones and Warhol, moved through the same streets and hotel rooms. It's the story of the world through the 60s and early 70s, and a generation came of age, built on music, love, and freedom. Above all, it's the moving story of the profound friendship among five young men who together created a new kind of popular music.
