Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame Announces New Exhibit: ‘This Wheel’s Still On Fire: The Legacy of Levon Helm’

Exhibit Opens August 15, 2025, at the Boch Center Wang Theatre

(Boston) The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame is honoring a rock and roll legend with its newest display This Wheel’s Still On Fire: The Legacy of Levon Helm. The exhibit, curated by Museum Collective, will feature never-displayed items including personal photographs, instruments from The Band members, tour memorabilia, awards and interviews with friends and fellow musicians including Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Max Weinberg and more. This Wheel’s Still On Fire will also allow guests to follow in Helm’s footsteps and play the drums as Ramble Band guest drummer and multi-instrumentalist Charley Dayton provides a video tutorial. The exhibit opens inside the lower lobby of the Boch Center Wang Theatre August 15 and will be on public display during tours and on all show days. Tours can be booked daily at FolkAmericanaRootsHallofFame.org.

“This exhibit gives audiences a rare, behind-the-scenes look at one of the most unique and influential artists in American music history”, said Casey Soward, President and CEO of the Boch Center. “We’re thrilled to bring Levon Helm’s legacy to life for fans in Boston and beyond.” 

To kick off the new exhibit, the Boch Center Wang Theatre is hosting a member only VIP opening August 14^th which will include a Question-and-Answer session with Bob Santelli, the Founding Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives &Center for American Music at Monmouth University, with Levon’s daughter acclaimed musician Amy Helm and other special guests. To learn about becoming a member visit www.FARHOF.org/support/individual-giving

This Wheel’s Still On Fire: The Legacy of Levon Helm explores the life, legacy, and continued influence of Levon Helm. From his earliest years growing up in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, Levon was surrounded by music and community. Helm began his music career in high school when Ronnie Hawkins invited him to join his band. By the early 1960s, Levon and Hawkins had recruited Canadian musicians Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, and Robbie Robertson to form Levon and the Hawks, which later became Bob Dylan’s backing group, The Band.

After The Band’s 1976 performance in The Last Waltz, the original line-up parted ways, and Levon returned to Woodstock to build a home and studio. During this time, he focused on his solo music and acting career. The Band reunited in 1983 without Robbie Robertson and continued to record and tour. In 1998, Levon was diagnosed with throat cancer, which caused damage to his vocal cords. As a way of recovering from treatment and gathering musicians and community together, Levon opened his Barn to host Midnight Rambles, inspired by shows he saw as a teen. Before his death in 2012, Levon instructed friends and family to “keep it going,” and the Midnight Rambles continue keeping Levon’s legacy alive, the community gathered, and the music flowing. This exhibit invites guests to join in the song as we celebrate an artistic life well-lived, a connected community, and Levon’s artistic legacy.

The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame is a cultural and education initiative of the Boch Center located inside the Wang Theatre at 270 Tremont St. Boston, Massachusetts. Curated by the Museum Collective, FARHOF is geared to music lovers of all ages, providing educational offerings that ensure legacies are honored and new musical traditions are nurtured for generations to come. These genres of music have historically provided an outlet for individuals of all races and backgrounds, and from every corner of the United States to express their joys, sorrows, and experiences.

Recent and current exhibits include Joan Baez: A Life of Music, Art, and Activism; All Seeing Eye: Blue Note Records Through the Lens of Francis Wolff; Bruce Springsteen: Portraits of an American Music Icon; Legends of Folk, Americana, Roots Music; Arlo Guthrie: Native Son; Life in Six Strings; Don't Think Twice: The Daniel Kramer Photographs of Bob Dylan, 1964-65; Boston: A Music Town; The Wang Theatre: A Century of Great Music; historic artifacts from David Bieber Archives and the Cultural Heroes sculptures on loan from Alan LeQuire Galleries in Nashville, TN.

For updates, information about tours and upcoming events and exhibits please visit www.FARHOF.org.

Be sure to follow FARHOF on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame:

In 2019, the Boch Center expanded its educational programming and launched the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame (FARHOF), Boston’s living music museum which celebrates the lifeblood of America’s musical and cultural heritage. Folk music provides an outlet for individuals of all races and backgrounds to express their highest joys and deepest sorrows.

FARHOF is dedicated to honoring the past, celebrating the present and nurturing the future of Folk, Americana Roots musicians. By learning from the past, the Boch Center and FARHOF hope to influence meaningful conversations today.

Housed in the Wang Theatre, FARHOF celebrates Folk, Americana and Roots music through displays, memorabilia, artifacts, events, lectures, exhibits, concerts, and educational programs.

About the Boch Center:

The Boch Center is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit performing arts institutions and a guardian of the historic Wang and Shubert Theatres. As New England’s largest cultural venue, the Boch Center is home to theater, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, opera, Broadway musicals, family entertainment, and more.

Located in Boston’s historic Theater District, the Boch Center also offers a diverse mix of educational, cultural and community outreach initiatives, including the City Spotlights Leadership Program and the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame; collaborates with artists and local nonprofit arts organizations; preserves historic venues; and acts as a champion for Greater Boston’s arts and cultural community. Learn more at bochcenter.org.