Robbie Robertson, the self-titled solo debut by Robbie, is released in October. Members of U2 and Peter Gabriel are just a few of the many notable artists contributing to the album. The debut peaked at #38 on both the Billboard 200 and UK Album Charts while it’s singles peak even higher on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Track chart (“Somewhere Down the Crazy River” at #24, “Sweet Fire of Love” at #7 and “Shadow at Big Sky” at #2).

The track “Broken Arrow” would be covered by Rod Stewart on his 1991 album Vagabond Heart. The song would reach #20 in the Billboard Hot 100 that year, as well as #3 on Billboard Adult Contemporary Track chart.

For another Scorsese film, King Of Comedy (released in 1983), Robertson serves as music producer, assembling tunes by The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Ray Charles and Rickie Lee Jones. He also contributes with his first post-Band solo recording, “Between Trains.” In addition, the soundtrack includes Van Morrison’s “Wonderful Remark,” for which Robbie produced and played guitar.

Robertson co-stars with Gary Busey and Jodie Foster in Carny (released 1980). He also co-writes, produces and composes source music for the film. Robbie becomes one of the first rock’n’rollers to seriously engage the medium of film..

The Last Waltz documentary by Martin Scorsese is released as is the album of the same name. The film has been hailed as one of the greatest concert films ever made.

Islands, The Band’s final studio album with Robertson is released in March. It features “Christmas Must Be Tonight” and “Knockin’ Lost John,” Robertson’s first lead vocal since “To Kingdom Come” on Music From Big Pink.

Released in June, The Basement Tapes is a studio album by Bob Dylan and The Band. It consists of sixteen Dylan compositions and eight by the Band. The Dylan tracks were recorded in 1967 in the basement of Big Pink, a house shared by three of the members of the Band, while the Band tracks were recorded at various times and locations between 1967 and 1975.

The Basement Tapes peaked at #7 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart and reached #8 in the UK. In 2003, the album would be ranked at #291 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

On the heels of their studio collaboration, Bob and The Band decide to hit the road together. Ticket demand for the 40 show / 21 city tour is one of highest in rock music history; tickets were sold by mail-order only and promoter Bill Graham claims mail-order requests exceed twelve million, though only about a half-million seats are available for the shows.

In July, The Band appear before an estimated 650,000 people (the largest rock concert in history) at the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, a festival in upstate New York. Sharing the bill are The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead.

The Band then set off on another U.S. tour concluding with a series of shows at New York City’s Academy of Music December 28th through 31st. The New Year’s Eve performance is recorded and released the following year as the double-album, Rock Of Ages, and achieves gold status. Among its noteworthy cuts is the previously unreleased Robertson original “Get Up, Jake” and a cover of the R&B number “Baby, Don’t Do It.” Allen Toussaint is responsible for the horn arrangement adding a New Orleans flavor to the show.