The Band
The Band was a Canadian-American rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, drums, vocals) and Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano, percussion) and the American Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar, bass). The Band's music combined elements of Americana, folk, rock, jazz and country, which influenced artists including George Harrison, Elton John, the Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, and Wilco.
Between 1958 and 1963, the group was known as the Hawks and were the backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. In the mid-1960s, they gained recognition for backing Bob Dylan on his 1966 concert tour as Dylan's first electric band. After leaving Dylan and changing their name to the Band, they released their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink and its succeeding album, 1969's The Band to critical acclaim and commercial success. According to AllMusic, Music from Big Pink influenced several generations of musicians. Pink Floyd member Roger Waters deemed it 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 included "The Weight" (1968), "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (1969), and "Up on Cripple Creek" (1969).
 |
This musician-related article is a stub. You can help out with Wikiquote by expanding it! |
Quotes about The Band
[edit]- It sounded like they’d jumped on to what I thought we ought to be doing. That was what I wanted us to sound like and here was somebody else doing it. It shook me to the core. … The Band had done it without even trying, and I harbored that as a weapon of resentment against Jack [Bruce] and Ginger [Baker] — who had a lot more respect for what we were doing than I did.
- Eric Clapton, as quoted by Dave Lifton of Ultimate Classic Rock (December 16, 2016) [1]
