The Band
Canadian-American rock band known for blending Americana and folk.
The Band were a Canadian-American rock group from Toronto, Ontario. The lineup included Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, drums, vocals), and Robbie Robertson (guitar), along with American Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar). Their sound blended Americana, folk, rock, R&B, jazz, and country, and they influenced musicians like George Harrison, Elton John, the Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, and Wilco.
Before adopting the name the Band, they were the Hawks, backing rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins in Toronto from 1958 to 1963. In the mid-1960s, they became known for supporting Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour as his first electric band. After parting ways with Dylan, they renamed themselves the Band and released their debut album, *Music from Big Pink*, in 1968, followed by *The Band* in 1969. Both were critical and commercial successes. Journalist Al Aronowitz described its sound as “country soul … a sound never heard before.” Their best-known songs include “The Weight” (1968), “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (1969), and “Up on Cripple Creek” (1969). Later albums were *Stage Fright* (1970), *Cahoots* (1971), the live set *Rock of Ages* (1972), the covers record *Moondog Matinee* (1973), and *Northern Lights – Southern Cross* (1975).
The Band played a farewell concert on November 25, 1976, footage from which became Martin Scorsese’s 1978 film *The Last Waltz*. After five years apart, Danko, Hudson, Helm, and Manuel reunited in 1983 for a tour without Robertson. Manuel died in 1986, but the remaining three continued touring and releasing studio material until Danko’s death in 1999, after which the Band disbanded permanently. They entered the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. *Rolling Stone* ranked them 50th on its 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. They received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and were inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2014.
- origin
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- years_active
- 1958–1999 (with breaks)
- genres
- Americana, folk, rock, R&B, jazz, country
- members
- Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm
- notable_albums
- Music from Big Pink (1968), The Band (1969)
- inductions
- Canadian Music Hall of Fame (1989), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994), Canada's Walk of Fame (2014)
Lore & Background
The future members of the Band first played together as the Hawks, the backing group for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins in Toronto. Levon Helm began playing with the group in 1957, and the lineup solidified with Robertson, Danko, Manuel, and Hudson. They split from Hawkins in late 1963 over personal differences and a desire to perform original material. After a brief period as the Levon Helm Sextet and Levon and the Hawks, they were hired by Bob Dylan in 1965 as his first electric backing band for his U.S. and world tours. The negative reception from folk purists led Helm to leave the tour early. After the 1966 tour, the group moved to Saugerties, New York, where they made the informal 1967 recordings that became The Basement Tapes, the basis for their 1968 debut album, Music from Big Pink. The name 'The Band' was adopted because they were always referred to simply as 'the band' to various frontmen and locals in Woodstock.
Reader's Guide
The Band's significance lies in their fusion of Americana, folk, rock, R&B, jazz, and country, creating a sound that influenced a wide range of artists. Their 1968 debut, Music from Big Pink, was deemed by Pink Floyd's Roger Waters the 'second-most influential record in the history of rock and roll,' and music journalist Al Aronowitz called it 'country soul ... a sound never heard before.' Their most popular songs include 'The Weight' (1968), 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' (1969), and 'Up on Cripple Creek' (1969). The Band performed a farewell concert on November 25, 1976, documented in Martin Scorsese's film The Last Waltz (1978). After a five-year hiatus, Danko, Hudson, Helm, and Manuel reunited in 1983 without Robertson. Manuel died in 1986, and the remaining three members continued until Danko's death in 1999, after which the Band broke up for good. They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. Rolling Stone ranked them 50th on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004.
Did You Know?
- The Band was originally known as the Hawks and served as the backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1958 to 1963.
- Garth Hudson agreed to join the Hawks only on condition that each member pay him $10 per week to be their instructor and purchase a new Lowrey organ.
- The Band's farewell concert on November 25, 1976, was filmed by Martin Scorsese and released in 1978 as The Last Waltz.
- The Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
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