Full Description
Craig Harris dives deeply into The Band, including the myths and confusions surrounding its members, and provides a wide-ranging account from their very beginnings with Ronnie Hawkins, collaboration with Bob Dylan, to the present.
A half-century after The Band's original lineup, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson, and Levon Helm played together for a final time at a star-studded concert—the "Last Waltz"—on Thanksgiving 1976. The group's blend of folk, blues, country, Dixieland, and rock 'n' roll is revered as a root of Americana music.
Harris interweaves original and previously unpublished interviews with the late Robertson, Danko, and Hawkins, as well as producer/sideman Aaron "Professor Louie" Hurwitz, drummer Rick Ciarlante, the Helm Band's Larry Campbell and his wife Teresa Williams, and others. Recordings, concerts, festivals, film appearances, Robertson's soundtracks for Martin Scorsese, and others are assessed closely. But this isn't just a story celebrating the group's countless hits, successes, and victories. Despite their lasting influence, The Band's journey was far from smooth. Drug and alcohol abuse, poor health, bankruptcies, and bitter conflicts over songwriting credits took their toll. Craig Harris looks at it all.
Contents
Foreword by Aaron "Professor Louie" Hurwitz
Prelude
1. The Hawk
2. Canada
3. Levon & the Hawks
4. Dylan
5. Woodstock and Basement Tapes
6. Music from Big Pink
7. The Road
8. The Brown Album
9. Onward
10. Stage Fright
11. Cahoots
12. Moondog Matinee
13. The Grind
14. Pandemonium
15. The Last Waltz
16. Aftermath
17. Resurrection
18. Felo De Se
19. Jericho
20. Roots and Hogs
21. Jubilation
22. Resilience
23. Revivification
24. Twilight
Discography
Interviews
Notes
