Amos Lee Gets Personal

It was a beautiful night in 2010 and Levon Helm’s energy was infectious.

Hosting one of his storied Midnight Rambles in his Woodstock, New York-based barn-studio, the legendary musician wove epic stories with his songs, transporting his audience to another time and another place.

But, at the time, Mr. Helm wasn’t well. And it was one of the last Rambles he ever held.

On April 17, 2012, his wife and daughter announced that he was in the final stages of his battle with throat cancer and thanked his fans, while requesting prayers.

Two days later, he died.

“It affected us all a lot,” musician Amos Lee, who played in the 2010 Ramble, said last week of Mr. Helm’s death during a telephone interview. “Just the spirit. No more Rambles were going to happen with Levon. He was so dedicated, a lifelong musician who just wanted to give the world love through song. When somebody who you really admires passes on, it hits you a little bit.”

The musician coped the only way he knew how. He sat down to write.

The words that flowed out, he realized, encapsulated that last night he and Mr. Helm had together—lyrics that would fuel the title track and essence of his fifth studio album, “Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song,” which was released in October and is headlining his current tour, making a stop at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, November 24.

“The people around you and the people in the world you see and open yourself up to, that will inspire you,” Mr. Lee said of his newest album. “That’s so much to draw from, the experience of being alive should be pretty vibrant because it doesn’t last all that long.”

The musician first picked up a guitar at age 18 and started writing songs immediately while studying English at the University of South Carolina after being inspired by the John Prine album, “Great Days.” After graduating, he returned to his hometown—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he now lives—and played local gigs until fellow musician Norah Jones, who is also the daughter of legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar, heard his voice on a demo.

And, just like that, she invited him to be the opening act for her 2004 tour.

“Yeah, I was nervous, of course,” Mr. Lee recalled. “I hadn’t played anywhere other than a bar before. And now I was playing some of the most pristine theaters in the world. I was incredibly grateful to her. She kick-started my career.”

Touring with Ms. Jones was just the beginning. Less than a year later, Mr. Lee was opening for Bob Dylan, Adele, Merle Haggard and his initial inspiration—Mr. Prine.

“He’s one of my favorites,” Mr. Lee said of his musical idol. “I love that dude, he’s the best. His songs have influenced me in many, many ways. Just the characters he writes, the way he can intertwine humor and seriousness and all that. He’s just the best.”

For Mr. Lee, the songwriting process behind every tune is different, he said, though almost all of them begin on his couch. Some come out in three to four minutes, he said, while others can take three to four years.

However, on every album, at least three tracks are autobiographical, he reported. More often than not, they are the only insights his fans have into Mr. Lee. The musician is extremely private.

“Oh man, if I had it my way, there would be nothing out there on me. I’m not really interested in that, really,” he said. “I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me and people spreading the word about the show, but I don’t really care much to put my personal life out in the public. I think most people really should be able to have whatever freedom of privacy they want.”

But when on stage, the musician isn’t afraid to bare it all. Admittedly vulnerable in front of an audience, he said, it is a choice he has made. And he is comfortable with it.

“It’s not like somebody forced me up there,” he laughed. “‘Write these songs and go sing them, or else.’ I’m lucky to be able to do what I do, and I feel very blessed. I just don’t like to get too deep into the other parts, selling your story over your songs. I’ll always talk about the music and the songs, and that’s how I would most like to be perceived. I know in this culture, we want dirt and we want more scandal. But what I’m trying to do is be known through these tunes.”

Amos Lee will make a stop on his “Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song” tour at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, November 24, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $76 to $116. For more information, call 288-1500 or visit whbpac.org.