The Weight
The Band was a Canadian-American rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1967. It consisted of Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, drums, vocals), Robbie Robertson (guitar, songwriting, vocals), and American Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar). The Band combined elements of Americana, folk, rock, jazz, country, and R&B, influencing musicians such as George Harrison, Elton John, the Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton and Wilco.
Between 1958 and 1963, the group was known as the Hawks, a backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. In the mid-1960s, they gained recognition for backing Bob Dylan, and the 1966 concert tour was notable as Dylan’s first with an electric band. After leaving Dylan and changing their name to “The Band”, they released several records to critical and popular acclaim, including their debut album Music from Big Pink in 1968. According to AllMusic, the album’s influence on several generations of musicians has been substantial: musician Roger Waters called Music from Big Pink the second-most influential record in the history of rock and roll,[2] and music journalist Al Aronowitz called it “country soul … a sound never heard before”.[3] Their most popular songs included “The Weight“, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down“, and “Up on Cripple Creek”.
We lost Robbie Robertson yesterday. He was 80.
Read More HERE
Great song,RIP Robbie