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• The Band was an influential Canadian-American roots rock that released a number of highly acclaimed albums after starting out as the backing band for Bob Dylan.

• Fast Facts

  1. Formed: 1967 (previously known as “The Hawks”)
  2. Disbanded: November, 1976
  3. Toured behind Bob Dylan 1965-66
  4. [http: //www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939240/50_the_band Ranked 50th] on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
  5. Reformed in the 1980s and 90s with different lineups
  6. Rick Danko died in 1999

• Band Members

  • Levon Helm - Drums/Vocals
  • Garth Hudson - Keyboard
  • Rick Danko - Bass/Vocals
  • Robbie Robertson - Guitar/Vocals
  • Richard Manuel - Piano

• Career

  The Band started out playing clubs and bars in the Toronto area under the direction Rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins (thus the name "The Hawks"). After parting ways with Hawkins, The Band was asked to join Bob Dylan on tour as his backing band. After Dylan suffered a motorcycle accident in 1966, the band went out on their own and released their first album, the acclaimed Music from Big Pink. After a number of successful albums and tours, The Band decided to call it quits in 1976.

• The Last Waltz

  In order to mark the end of the group, The Band decided to hold a farewell concert. Held at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California, the concert was named The Last Waltz and was filmed as a documentary by Martin Scorcese. As well as The Band performing on their own, the concert featured guest appearances by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Paul Butterfield, and Neil Diamond.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Robbie Robertson | Bob Dylan | Martin Scorsese | George Harrison | The Grateful Dead | Eric Clapton | Emmylou Harris | Joni Mitchell | Van Morrison | Neil Young | Muddy Waters | The Byrds | Gram Parsons | Crosby, Stills & Nash | Neil Diamond | Ron Wood | Ringo Starr | Joan Baez | Dr. John | Paul Butterfield | The Last Waltz | The Departed Soundtrack

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