![]() ![]() And the song is so well written it got a new life when Mavis Staple made it one of her standards. ![]() I just need some place where I can lay my head…” The vocals are so haunting and glorious it’s as if raspy throated angels are singing into an echo chamber. “ The Weight” is their most famous song: “I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin’ about half past dead. Compared to the Rolling Stones, who released 30 studio albums over 52 years, and are still together, their career was short. Eventually they would release 10 studio albums. That’s when they started to create their unique blend of Americana music, with hints of folk, rock, blues and R&B along with exquisite harmonies and an unparalleled musicianship that made them the gold standard U.S. Retreating to an ugly pink house in Woodstock, New York brought the ego-wounded band of brothers to a better place, emotionally, musically and geographically. They wanted their hero on an acoustic guitar, singing solo or with a harmonica in his mouth. As Dylan and his backup band toured, they were booed. Their next gig was in 1965 backing Bob Dylan, who was transitioning from folk singer to electric rock and roller. Robertson, Helm and the other Torontonians, split off. ![]() Hawkins attracted more young talent from Toronto: bass guitarist/vocalist Rick Danko, Garth Hudson keyboardist/accordion player and Richard Manuel keyboardist/vocals. A deep friendship developed between the teen and the group’s drummer/singer Levon Helm. As a half Native American, half Jewish 16-year-old from Toronto, Canada, his love for music and fluid guitar playing led him to the Mississippi Delta to join the animated rockabilly band Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks in 1960. This trip down memory lane is guided by the group’s most prolific writer, Robbie Robertson. Bluesman Taj Mahal puts their legend into words: “If there are any American musicians comparable to the Beatles, it’s them.” The group came and went in just six years, without touring endlessly like other artists. Who were they? Generations that came after The Band’s era may not know. ![]()
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