The Toronto-born quintet whose rootsy blend of country, folk, blues and rock became a blueprint for Americana.
I'm Not There
The Band
Up On Cripple Creek (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, November 2, 1969)
MOODS · rootsy · rustic · organic · warm · nostalgic · earthy · communal · timeless
The Band formed in Toronto out of Ronnie Hawkins's backing group the Hawks, with Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson. They gained wide recognition backing Bob Dylan as his first electric band on his 1966 tour, before stepping out on their own.
Their 1968 debut, Music from Big Pink, was recorded with live, unadorned instrumentation and drew a rave in Rolling Stone from Al Kooper, who wrote that people would work their lives away and not touch it. Eric Clapton has said the album convinced him to quit Cream, and critic Ian MacDonald called it among the most influential records in rock history, citing its impact on the Beatles, Elton John, the Byrds, and the Grateful Dead. The Band followed with 1969's The Band to further acclaim, and were later inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, receiving a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
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