December 17, 2001 – Robbie Robertson will deliver the keynote address opening the 16th annual SXSW conference on Thursday, March 14, 2002 at the Austin Convention Center.

Robertson's esteemed career includes his role as guitarist and songwriter for popular rock group The Band throughout the late '60s and '70s. Robertson's songs, including "The Weight," "Up On Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," brought The Band much acclaim, and their body of work remains one of the finest of the rock era. Since The Band's last performance in 1976, Robertson has scored and produced a number of soundtracks and released four solo albums, the most recent being 1998's Contact from the Underworld of Red Boy. Currently, Robertson holds an executive post as creative advisor for DreamWorks Records.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of The Last Waltz, The Band's all-star farewell performance documented on film by Martin Scorsese. A newly restored print, remixed in 5.1 surround sound, will be screened during the music portion of the SXSW conference. In addition, Robertson will meet with music journalist and former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres for a one-on-one Q&A included in the SXSW panel schedule.

Robertson joins a unique group of artists including Ray Davies, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Nick Lowe, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash, who have welcomed past SXSW participants with informal, engaging keynote speeches.

The 2002 SXSW music conference, which this year will host an estimated 7,000 registrants, runs March 13 - 17. Conference events include panels and an industry trade show at the Austin Convention Center, as well as music festival events featuring over 900 performers on 40 stages throughout Austin.