Hollywood Records' ``Ladder 49'' Soundtrack

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's "Shine Your Light" is the First Song He's Ever Written and Recorded Specifically for a Film; Album in Stores September 28

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 12, 2004-- As the leader of seminal rock group The Band, he wrote "The Weight," which was prominently featured in the 1969 Peter Fonda/Dennis Hopper classic, "Easy Rider." In 1980, Martin Scorsese hired him to be the music producer for Academy Award nominee "Raging Bull." Two decades later, he teamed with Scorsese again, serving as executive music producer for 2002's Oscar-nominated film "Gangs of New York." Over the course of the past 35 years, songwriting legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Robbie Robertson has produced music for several films, including "King of Comedy," "Casino" and "Phenomenon" and contributed songs to a dozen more, among them "The Big Chill," "The Color of Money" and "Any Given Sunday." Remarkably, for all his acclaimed cinematic and recording credits, Robertson has never written and recorded a song specifically for a film -- until now.

For new movie "Ladder 49," about a group of Baltimore firefighters, Robertson penned "Shine Your Light," as a tribute and in celebration of these everyday heroes. It's a stunning track that recalls the enduring material of "Music From Big Pink" and "The Band," both landmark albums from the songwriter's former group. Part anthem and part gospel hymn, "Shine Your Light" plays in its entirety over the film's dramatic culminating scene; it's the only sound that's heard. Robertson also composed an orchestral adagio for the final credits. The soundtrack will be released September 28 on Hollywood Records. The Touchstone Pictures/Beacon Pictures film, which was directed by Jay Russell ("Tuck Everlasting," "My Dog Skip") and stars John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix, opens nationwide on October 1.

Determined to enlist "one of the great songwriters" to pen an original song for the crucial scene, Russell (a huge fan of The Band) came up with a list of what he calls "dream choices," and Robertson's name was at the very top. "When it comes to themes of life, death and Americana," Russell asserts, "you can count the songwriters who can capture that on one hand, Bob Dylan being one and Robbie Robertson being another. So we only went to one person on the list, and that was Robbie."

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