The Band was a Canadian-American roots rock group….including Rick Danko on bass guitar and vocals… Garth Hudson on keyboards, organ and saxophone….Richard Manuel on keyboards and vocals….Robbie Robertson on lead guitar and vocals….and Levon Helm on drums and vocals…..as seen in this video herewith where he sings lead on The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down….which is one of The Band‘s most famous hits.
The members of The Band first came together as rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins’s Toronto, Ontario-based backing group, The Hawks, which they joined one by one between 1958 and 1963. The original configuration of The Band ended its touring career in 1976 with an elaborate performance at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California that featured numerous musical celebrities of the era. This performance was filmed for Martin Scorsese’s 1978 documentary The Last Waltz. Although the members of the group intended to continue working on studio projects….they drifted apart after the release of their Islands album in March 1977.
