Robbie Robertson

From The Last Waltz to Killers of the Flower Moon: Robertson's score shaped Scorsese's cinematic world.

Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician and composer who served as the primary songwriter for The Band from its inception until his 1976 departure. His collaboration with director Martin Scorsese began with the farewell rockumentary "The Last Waltz" in 1978. Over subsequent decades, Robertson contributed to soundtracks for dramatic films including "Raging Bull," "The King of Comedy," "The Color of Money," "The Irishman," and "Killers of the Flower Moon." While he served as a music consultant or supervisor on earlier films like "Raging Bull," "The King of Comedy," and "The Color of Money," he later composed original scores for "The Irishman" and "Killers of the Flower Moon." His work on "Killers of the Flower Moon" was dedicated to his memory, earning him a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Jaime Royal Robertson

Born

5 July 1943

Birthplace

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Died

9 August 2023

Place of death

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Occupation

Musician
songwriter
singer
composer

Years active

1956–2023

Children

3, including Sebastian

Lore & Background

Robertson's partnership with Martin Scorsese started when he worked on "The Last Waltz" (1978), documenting The Band's final concert. This led to a long-term collaboration on dramatic film soundtracks, usually with Scorsese directing. His early contributions included serving as a music consultant or supervisor on "Raging Bull" (1980), "The King of Comedy" (1983), and "The Color of Money" (1986), curating existing tracks rather than composing original scores.

Decades later, he composed the original score for "The Irishman" (2019), a project that required him to create original music rather than just curating existing tracks. His final film work was on "Killers of the Flower Moon" (2023), which Scorsese dedicated to Robertson's memory after his death in August 2023. This posthumous recognition included an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, marking a significant capstone to his career as a composer.

Reader's Guide

Martin Scorsese and Robbie Robertson maintained a close working relationship on numerous soundtracks over several decades. Their first major project together was "The Last Waltz" (1978), a rockumentary film about The Band. Robertson later scored dramatic films such as "Raging Bull" (1980) and "The King of Comedy" (1983). He also contributed to "The Color of Money" (1986) before returning for "The Irishman" (2019), where he composed the original score. His final project was "Killers of the Flower Moon" (2023), which received a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. Robertson's role evolved from documenting live performances to composing original scores that supported Scorsese's narrative storytelling in films about organized crime and historical drama.