The Band (music)
The Band was a prominent rock music group that originally formed as the Hawks and gained fame in the late 1960s. Comprising members Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson, they initially served as backup musicians for artists like Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan before launching their own career. Their debut album, "Music from Big Pink," released in 1968, showcased a unique blend of blues, folk, gospel, and rock, characterized by innovative harmonies and instrumentation. Despite their musical success, internal tensions arose, particularly regarding songwriting credits, leading to strife among members.
The Band released several albums throughout the 1970s, with varying levels of critical and commercial success, including "Northern Lights—Southern Cross" in 1975 and "Islands" in 1977. They ultimately disbanded in 1976, culminating in a celebrated farewell concert known as "The Last Waltz," which featured numerous guest artists and was later immortalized in a film by Martin Scorsese. The Band's legacy is marked by their significant contributions to the rock genre and their influential collaborations, securing their place in music history. After the breakup, members pursued various musical and film projects, with some tragically passing away in later years.
On this Page
The Band (music)
Identification American rock-and-roll band
Lauded by critics, the Band was one of the most influential rock groups of its era.
Date Formed in 1958 as the Hawks; disbanded in 1976
Originally billed as the Hawks, the Band—featuring Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson—played backup music for Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan before releasing their first album, Music from Big Pink, in 1968. By the time Cahoots was released in 1971, tensions had emerged among the members. Robertson claimed most of the songwriting credits and therefore received a larger chunk of the royalties. The other members maintained the songwriting was a collaborative effort, and resentment mounted. The next two albums—Rock of Ages, released in 1972, and Moondog Matinee, released in 1973—were disappointing collections that reflected the Band’s internal strife. In 1974, the Band joined Dylan again, this time on his Rolling Thunder Revue tour. Northern Lights—Southern Cross (1975) was better received than the two previous albums, but Islands (1977) did little more than fulfill the Band’s contractual obligations to its label, Capitol Records.
When at its best, the Band was an innovative, highly gifted ensemble. Each of the five members had his own unique sound. They shared duties as vocalists, and the music itself combined Hudson’s classically trained organ flourishes with the stripped-down, raw rock and roll of the rest of the band mates. The resulting music was a compelling mix of blues, folk, gospel, and straight rock. A mystique rose up around the group, and at times, their harmonies sounded almost unearthly.
In 1976, the Band decided to break up. The members planned a farewell concert for Thanksgiving Day at San Francisco’s Fillmore Theater. They were joined on stage by some of popular music’s greatest luminaries, including Dylan, Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, and Joni Mitchell. The concert was filmed by Martin Scorsese and released in 1978 as The Last Waltz along with a multidisk recording of the event.
Impact
The Band’s history was intertwined with the history of rock and roll itself, from its early days playing gigs along the corridor between the American South and Ontario, Canada, to its gala farewell concert, which brought onto one stage artists from blues, folk, and rock idioms. The Band was the apotheosis of the hardworking American rock-and-roll group, and it achieved legendary status through its influential solo and backup work.
Subsequent Events
After the breakup of the Band, Robertson and Helm dabbled in film careers. Robertson gained some fame as a solo artist, while Helm, Danko, and Hudson continued to play music in various projects. Manuel killed himself in 1986, and Danko died in 1999.
Bibliography
Helm, Levon, and Stephen Davis. This Wheel’s on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band. 2d ed. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2000.
Hoskyns, Barney. Across the Great Divide: The Band and America. New York: Hyperion Books, 1993.