Memories Live On In Song

Lee, who is 8, and Hughie, who is 4, have stories they love to hear about their grandfather. Their favorite is being on the road with him and their mom and getting candy AND pizza when they ordered room service.

"My 8-year-old remembers him quite well," says mom Amy. "He was only 4 when my dad died, but they were very close."

Amy too treasures those memories. She was estranged from her father, the iconic rocker Levon Helm, for several years before his victory over addiction, his illness and their shared music brought them back together.

"He was not present in my life, and for a long time, we were in and out of touch," she says. "Those were years when he had fallen to a pathway that pulled him away from family -- and away from himself in some ways. In 1998, he got diagnosed with throat cancer, and when he did, there became a real calling in both of our lives that pulled us back together. We grew even closer in building The Rambles together and those concerts and finally, a recording. But it's an important story because I believe people can change, and recovery and serenity are real possibilities in our lives."

The senior Helm died in 2012, and his daughter's first solo album, "Didn't It Rain," reflects on that period of time, when she also lost a brother, went through a divorce and had her second child. However, she assures, the songs are "cathartic" for her, not depressing.

"It always feels good to sing them," she says. "This was a while ago for me now, and I'm in a pretty happy place, have two beautiful kids, and my ex-husband and I have a wonderful friendship. And occasionally I'll meet someone who tells me they've connected to the emotional elements of the record, and it's helped them get through something. So the songs aren't hard to sing."

-- Becca Martin-Brown

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NAN What's Up on 08/26/2016