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Jaime Robbie Robertson, one of the finest guitarists and songwriters in music history was born on July 5, 1943 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to a Jewish father, who died in Robbie's childhood and a mother, Rosemarie Myke Robertson, of Mohawk descent. Robbie's interest in music began at an early age and was influenced by relatives at the Six Nations Reservation, where he has related stories of watching informal "jam sessions" as a child and trying to persuade his elders to teach him. Robbie began playing guitar in bands in the Toronto area and in 1958 he joined The Hawks, the backing band of Ronnie Hawkins, a noted rockabilly performer. Over time, Hawkins hired drummer Levon Helm, multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson, bassist Rick Danko and pianist Richard Manuel in addition to Robertson. These four men would ultimately form The Band, one of rock and roll's premiere acts. In 1963, the members of The Band left Hawkins due to a need to expand themselves musically. Prior to ...