The Band

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The Band
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre(s) Rock, Americana
Years active 1967–1976, 1983–1999
Label(s) Capitol Records
Associated acts Ronnie Hawkins, Bob Dylan, The Hawks, Levon and the Hawks, The Canadian Squires
Former members
Levon Helm
Garth Hudson
Rick Danko
Robbie Robertson
Richard Manuel
Stan Szelest
Jim Weider
Randy Ciarlante
Richard Bell

The Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976. The original group (1967-1976) consisted of Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, and Levon Helm.

Following their tenure with Bob Dylan, in 1965-1966, the group left Saugerties, New York, to begin recording their own material. They recorded two of the most acclaimed albums of the late 1960s: their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the single "The Weight") and 1969's The Band. They broke up in 1976, but reformed in 1983 (through 1999) without Robertson. The Band's farewell concert on Thanksgiving 1976, The Last Waltz, was promoted by Bill Graham and turned into a timeless documentary by director Martin Scorsese.

The Band's music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often was reminiscent of Stax or Motown. Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences, resulting in a synthesis of many musical genres. As to the group's songwriting, very few of their early compositions were based on conventional blues and doo-wop chord changes.

Although The Band was always more popular with music journalists and fellow musicians than with the general public, they have remained an admired and influential group. They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them number 50 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

History

Early years: The Hawks

The members of The Band first came together as they joined Toronto-based, rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins' backing group, The Hawks between 1958 and 1963. The group originally consisted of Canadians Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano, vocals); Richard Manuel (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone, organ, vocals); Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone); and Rick Danko (bass guitar, violin, trombone, vocals); and American Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, vocals).

Every member over the group was a multi-instrumentalist enabling the musicians to create various configurations in service to the songs. Hudson in particular was able to coax a wide range of timbres from his Lowrey electronic organ. Singers Manuel, Danko, and Helm each brought a distinctive voice to The Band: Helm's southern style had more than a hint of country, Danko sang in a tenor, and Manuel alternated between falsetto and baritone. Though the singing was more or less evenly shared among the three, both Danko and Helm have stated that they saw Manuel as the Band's "lead" singer. The singers regularly blended in harmonies.

Robertson was the unit's chief songwriter, singing lead vocals on only three studio songs released by the group. This role, and Robertson's resulting claim to the copyright of most of the compositions, would later become a point of antagonism in 80s when the bulk of songwriting royalties were going to Robertson alone. Producer John Simon is sometimes cited as a "sixth member" of The Band for producing and playing on Music from Big Pink, co-producing and playing on The Band, and playing on some other songs up through the Band's 1993 reunion album Jericho.

With Bob Dylan

Upon leaving Hawkins in 1964, they were known as The Levon Helm Sextet the sixth member being sax player Jerry Penfound, then Levon and the Hawks, without Penfound. In 1965, they released a single on Ware Records under the name the Canadian Squires, but returned to the name Levon and the Hawks for a recording session for Atco later in 1965. At about the same time, Bob Dylan recruited Helm and Robertson for two concerts, then the entire group for his U.S. tour in 1965.

With Dylan, they played a tumultuous series of 1965 and 1966 concerts, marking Dylan's final change from folk music to rock. These tours remain some of the most storied in rock music history. At their best, Dylan and the Hawks were an electrifying live ensemble. At the same time, the Dylan and the group also faced heckling by folk-music purists. Helm was so bothered by the negative reception that he quit the group temporarily to work on an oil rig.

Dylan did some recording with the Hawks, but he was dissatisfied with the results. However, Robertson replaced Mike Bloomfield as Dylan's primary guitarist on sessions for Blonde on Blonde, released in mid-1966. The album's credits also include Danko on bass and Hudson on keyboards and sax.

In July 1966 Dylan suffered a motorcycle accident and retired into semi-seclusion in Woodstock, New York. The Hawks returned to the bar-and-roadhouse touring circuit, sometimes backing other singers, including a brief stint with Tiny Tim). They also joined Dylan in Woodstock to create series of informal demos and jams, subsequently released on LP as The Basement Tapes.

Music from Big Pink and The Band

Reunited with Helm, the Hawks began writing their own songs in a rented large pink house in West Saugerties, New York, near Woodstock. They originally thought to call themselves either "The Honkies" or "The Crackers," but these names were vetoed by their record label, who dubbed them "The Band." Initially, the group disliked the moniker, but eventually grew to like it, thinking it to be simultaneously humble and presumptuous.

Their first album, Music from Big Pink (1968) was widely acclaimed. The album included three songs written or co-written by Dylan, "This Wheel's on Fire," "Tears of Rage," and "I Shall Be Released." Robertson's epic, "The Weight," would be used in the cult classic film Easy Rider and become The Band's best-known song, although it only reached number 63 on the US pop charts. The album would reach number 30, but was highly influential and is now considered a classic. In 2003 it was ranked number 34 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

After the success of Big Pink, the band went on tour, including a performance at the Woodstock Festival and an appearance with Dylan at the 1969 UK Isle of Wight Festival. That same year, they left for Los Angeles to record their follow-up, The Band (1969). Less psychedellic and more country in flavor, the album stood in contrast to other popular music of the day, although several acts too a similar direction around the same time, notably Dylan on John Wesley Harding and The Byrds on Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The Band featured songs that evoked oldtime rural America, from the civil war ("The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down") to unionization of farm workers ("King Harvest Has Surely Come").

Rolling Stone lavished praise on The Band in this era, giving them as much attention than perhaps any other group in the magazine's history. The group was also featured on the cover of Time Magazine's January 12, 1970 issue.

A critical and commercial triumph, The Band helped establish a musical template (sometimes dubbed country rock) that later would be taken to even greater levels of commercial success by such artists as the Eagles and Alabama. Both Big Pink and The Band also strongly influenced other musicians, with both Eric Clapton and George Harrison, among many others, citing the Band as a major influence on their musical direction in the late 60s and early 70s.

Stage Fright, Cahoots, and Northern Lights - Southern Cross

Following their second album, the Band embarked on their first tour as a headlining act. The resulting anxiety from fame and its hang-ups was especially evidenced by the group as its songs turned to darker themes of fear and alienation; the influence on their next work, is self-explanatory. Stage Fright (1970), was engineered by musician/engineer/producer Todd Rundgren and recorded on a stage in Woodstock, New York, but the fraying of the group's once-fabled unity was beginning to show. On this album, Robertson takes the majority of songwriting credit, whereas the earlier two albums had more balance in credit. Also, the trademark vocal style of the Band's three lead singers was much less prominent on this work.

After recording Stage Fright, the Band was among the acts participating in the Festival Express, an all-star, rock-concert tour of Canada by train that also included Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. In the concert documentary film, released in 2003, Danko can be seen intoxicated participating in a drunken jam session with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and Joplin while singing "Ain't No More Cane."

At about this time, Robertson began exerting greater control over the Band. This has become a point of antipathy, especially between Helm and Robertson. Helm charges Robertson with authoritarianism and greed, while Robertson suggests his increased efforts in guiding the group were due largely to some of the other members being unreliable. In particular, Robertson insists he did his best to coax Manuel into writing or co-writing more songs, only to see Manuel's talents overtaken by addiction.

Despite mounting problems between the musicians, the Band forged ahead with their next album, Cahoots (1971). Cahoots included tunes such as Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece," "4% Pantomime" (with Van Morrison), and "Life Is A Carnival," the last featuring a horn arrangement from Allen Toussaint. Toussaint's contribution was a critical addition to the Band's next project.

One of their most notable later albums is the live recording Rock of Ages (1972), recorded at a 1971/1972 New Year's Eve concert and featuring the line-up, bolstered by the addition of a horn section, in exuberant form. The horn arrangements were written by Allen Toussaint. Bob Dylan appeared on stage for the concert's final four songs, including a version of the rare song "When I Paint My Masterpiece."

In 1973, the Band released Moondog Matinee, an album of cover songs. There was no tour in support of the album, which garnered mixed reviews. However, they did open for the Grateful Dead for two summer shows at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. They also played at the legendary Summer Jam at Watkins Glen. This massive concert took place at the Grand Prix Raceway outside Watkins Glen, New York on July 28, 1973. The festival, which was attended by over 600,000 music fans, also featured the Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band.

Next, the Band reunited with Dylan, first in recording Dylan's album Planet Waves, released in January 1974, and then for the Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour, which played 40 shows in North America during January and February 1974. Later that year, the live album Before the Flood was released, documenting the tour.

In 1975, The Band released Northern Lights - Southern Cross, their first album of all-new material since 1971's Cahoots, with all eight songs written exclusively by Robertson. Despite poor record sales (due to the elongated period of inactivity by the band), the album is favored by critics and fans alike. Levon Helm regards this album highly in his book, This Wheel's on Fire: "It was the best album we had done since The Band." Highlights from the album included the Helm sung New Orleans sounding "Ophelia" and Rick Danko's emotionally driven vocal on "It Makes no Difference," both of which were performed live in The Last Waltz. Another notable song from the album was the epic story "Acadian Driftwood" which was also performed at the Last Waltz, but not included in the movie. The album also produced more experimentation from Hudson switching to synthesizers, heavily showcased on "Jupiter Hollow."

The Last Waltz

By 1976, Robertson was weary of touring. After having to cancel some tour dates due to Manuel suffering a severe neck injury in a boating accident in Texas, Robertson urged the Band to retire from touring with a massive Thanksgiving Day concert on November 25, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California. The concert featured a horn section with arrangements by Allen Toussaint, and a stellar list of guests, including Hawkins, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Paul Butterfield, and Neil Diamond.

The concert was filmed by director Martin Scorsese, and was subsequently combined with interviews, as well as separately recorded soundstage performances with country-singer Emmylou Harris ("Evangeline") and gospel-soul group The Staple Singers ("The Weight"). Released in 1978, the concert film-documentary, The Last Waltz, was accompanied by a triple-LP soundtrack.

After one more studio record, entitled Islands, featuring a version of "Georgia On My Mind" for Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign, the Band split.

Post-Waltz history

Reunion

In 1983, the Band reformed and recommenced touring, though without Robertson. Several different musicians were recruited to replace Robertson and to fill out the group. The reunited Band was generally well-received, but found themselves playing in smaller venues than during the peak of their popularity.

Richard Manuel's position as pianist was filled first by old friend Stan Szelest (who passed away not long after), then by Richard Bell. (Bell was best known from his days as a member of Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band.) The reformed group recorded Jericho in 1993 with much of the songwriting being handled outside the group. Two more post-reunion efforts followed, High on the Hog and Jubilation, the latter including guest appearances from Eric Clapton and John Hiatt.

While the reunited Band was touring, on March 4, 1986, Manuel committed suicide in his Florida motel room. It was revealed later that he had suffered for many years from chronic alcoholism. According to Helm's autobiography, in the later stages of his illness, Manuel was consuming eight bottles of Grand Marnier per day. Richard Manuel's position as pianist was filled first by old friend Stan Szelest (who passed away not long after), then by Richard Bell. (Bell was best known from his days as a member of Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band.) The reformed group recorded Jericho in 1993 with much of the songwriting being handled outside the group. Two more post-reunion efforts followed, High on the Hog and Jubilation, the latter including guest appearances from Eric Clapton and John Hiatt.

The band participated in former Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters' The Wall Live in Berlin concert in 1990, and in Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary concert celebration in New York City in October 1992. The group was the opening band for the final Grateful Dead shows at Soldier Field, in Chicago, Illinois in July 1995.

Individual efforts

Helm received many plaudits for his acting debut in Coal Miner's Daughter, a biographical film about Loretta Lynn, and for his narration and small supporting role opposite Sam Shepard in 1983's The Right Stuff while the remaining members interspersed session work with occasional solo releases.

In 1984, Rick Danko joined members of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and others in the huge touring company that made up "The Byrds Twenty-Year Celebration." Several members of the band performed solo songs to start the show including Danko who performed "Mystery Train."

Robertson became a music producer and wrote movie soundtracks (including acting as music supervisor for several of Scorsese's films) before a highly praised comeback with a Daniel Lanois produced, self-titled solo album in 1987.

Hudson has released two acclaimed solo CDs, The Sea To The North in 2001, and LIVE at the WOLF in 2005, both featuring his wife, Maud, on vocals. He has also kept busy as an in-demand studio musician.

In 2007, Helm released a new album, an homage to his southern roots called Dirt Farmer, which was awarded a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album on February 9, 2008.

Legacy

The Band has influenced countless bands, songwriters, and performers. One of the most popular songs of the 1960s counterculture, "The Weight," in particular, has been covered numerous times, and in various musical styles, and is listed number 41 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

The Last Waltz, The Band's farewell concert on Thanksgiving 1976 promoted by Bill Graham was turned into a timeless documentary by director Martin Scorsese. It was released as a triple-album set in 1978 and finally reissued as a four-disc box set by Rhino in 2002, on its near-25th Anniversary. "It could be argued that the film is among the greatest rock films." [1]

In the 1990s, a new generation of bands influenced by The Band began to gain popularity, including Counting Crows and The Black Crowes. Counting Crows indicated this influence with their tribute to the late Richard Manuel, "If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead)" from their album Hard Candy, and by covering Band songs during live performances, such as "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down," which appears on the band's DVD Freak 'n' Roll into the Fog.

In January 2007, a tribute album, entitled Endless Highway: The Music of The Band, was released which included contributions by My Morning Jacket, Death Cab for Cutie, Gomez, Guster, Bruce Hornsby, Jack Johnson and ALO, Leanne Womack, The Allman Brothers Band, Blues Traveler, Jakob Dylan, and Rosanne Cash, amongst others.

In 2004, The Band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The same year, Rolling Stone ranked them number 50 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The group received The Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award on February 9, 2008.

Discography

Singles

  • "Uh-Uh-Uh"/"Leave Me Alone" (1965 single, as The Canadian Squires)
  • "The Stones I Throw"/"He Don't Love You" (1965 single, as Levon and the Hawks)
  • "Go Go Liza Jane"/"He Don't Love You" (1968 single, as Levon and the Hawks)
  • "Twilight"/"Acadian Driftwood"

Albums

  • Music from Big Pink (1968) (Gold)
  • The Band (1969) (Platinum)
  • Stage Fright (1970) (Gold)
  • Cahoots (1971)
  • Rock of Ages (live, 1972) (Gold)
  • Moondog Matinee (1973)
  • Northern Lights - Southern Cross (1975)
  • Islands (1977)
  • The Last Waltz (live/studio, 1978)
  • Jericho (1993)
  • High on the Hog (1996)
  • Jubilation (1998)
  • The Last Waltz (box set edition, 2002)

Compilations

  • The Best of The Band (1976) (Gold)
  • Anthology (1978)
  • To Kingdom Come (anthology, 1989)
  • Across the Great Divide (box set, 1994)
  • Live at Watkins Glen (1995)
  • The Best of The Band, Vol. II (1999)
  • Greatest Hits (2000)
  • A Musical History (box set, 2005)
  • From Bacon Fat to Judgement Day (box set, to be released) (as Levon and the Hawks, et al.)

With Bob Dylan

  • Planet Waves (1974)
  • Before the Flood (1974) (Platinum)
  • The Basement Tapes (1975) (Gold)
  • The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (Without Levon Helm, 1998)

Notes

  1. ↑ http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:F6wqSJYaZIgJ:theband.hiof.no/albums/last_waltz.html+The+Last+waltz&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Bochynski, Kevin J. Popular Musicians. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 1999. ISBN 1-89356-986-0
  • Helm, Levon, with Davis, Stephen. This Wheel's on Fire. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2000. ISBN 978-1556524059
  • Hoskyns, Barney. Across the Great Divide: The Band and America. New York: Hyperion Books, 1993. ISBN 978-1562828363
  • Marcus, Greil. Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes. Farmingdale, NY: Owl Books, 1998. ISBN 978-0805058420
  • Sounes, Howard. Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan, Toronto Grove Press, 2001. ISBN 0082116868

External links

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