<Tr> <Th> Songwriter (s) </Th> <Td> Robbie Robertson </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Producer (s) </Th> <Td> John Simon </Td> </Tr> <P> "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Robbie Robertson and originally recorded by the Canadian - American roots rock group the Band in 1969 and released on their eponymous second album . Levon Helm provided the lead vocals . The song is a first - person narrative relating the economic and social distress experienced by the protagonist, a poor white Southerner, during the last year of the American Civil War, when George Stoneman was raiding southwest Virginia . Frequently appearing on lists of the best rock songs of all time, it has been cited as an early example of the genre known as roots rock . </P> <P> Joan Baez recorded a version of the song that became a top - five chart hit in late 1971 . </P>

The day they drove old dixie down meaning