The members of The Band first worked together as The Hawks, the backing band of rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins from 1959 until 1963. Afterwards, Bob Dylan recruited the quintet for his history-making 1965/1966 world tour and they joined him on the informal recordings that became the acclaimed Basement Tapes.
Dubbed "The Band" by their peers, the group left the comfort of their communal home in Saugerties, NY to begin recording as a group unto themselves. The Band recorded two of the most important albums of the late 1960s: their 1968 debut Music from Big Pink (featuring the hit single "The Weight") and 1969's The Band. These critically praised albums helped conceive country rock as something more than a genre, but rather as a celebration of "Americana." As such, throughout their career they would repopularize traditional American musical forms during the psychedelic era. The Band dissolved in 1976; Martin Scorcese's landmark concert film "The Last Waltz" documented their final performance. They reformed in 1983 without founding guitarist and main songwriter Robbie Robertson.
Although always more popular with music journalists and fellow musicians than the general public, The Band has remained an admired and influential group. They have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Their music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often had a bouncy, funky punch reminiscent of Stax or Motown, and Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences. At its best, however, The Band's music was an organic synthesis of many musical genres which became more than the sum of its parts. The group's songwriting was also remarkable as, unlike much earlier rock and roll, and following upon the example set previously by The Byrds, very few of their early compositions were based on conventional blues and doo-wop chord changes.
The Band comprised Robbie Robertson (guitar); Richard Manuel (piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone); Garth Hudson (organ, piano, clavinet, accordion, synthesizer, saxophone); Rick Danko (bass guitar, violin, trombone); and Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar) Excepting Robertson, all were multi-instrumentalists; each person's primary instrument is listed first. There was little instrument-switching when they played live, but when recording, the musicians could offer all manner of subtle aural colors and textures to enhance songs. Hudson in particular was able to coax an impressive range of timbres from his Lowrey electronic organ; on the choruses of "Tears of Rage", for example, it sounds startlingly like a mellotron. Helm's drumming was rarely flashy, but he was often praised for his subtlety and funkiness. Critic Jon Carroll famously declared that Helm was "the only drummer who can make you cry," while prolific session drummer Jim Keltner admits to appropriating several of Helm's techniques.
Singers Manuel, Danko, and Helm each brought a distinctive voice to The Band: Helm's gritty, southern voice had more than a hint of country, Danko sang in a soaring, unfettered tenor, and Manuel alternated between fragile falsetto and a wounded baritone. The singers regularly blended in unorthodox, but uncommonly effective harmonies. Though the singing was more or less evenly shared between the three men, both Danko and Helm have stated that they saw Manuel as the Band's "lead" singer.
Robertson was the unit's chief songwriter (though he sang lead vocals on only three or four songs in The Band's career). This role, and Robertson's resulting claim to the copyright of most of the compositions, would become a point of much antipathy between the group's members, especially between Robertson and Helm.
Producer John Simon is cited as a "sixth member" of The Band for producing and playing on Music from Big Pink, co-producing and playing on The Band, and playing on other songs up through The Band's 1993 reunion album Jericho.
On 10 December 1999 is when Rick Danko died in his sleep at age 56. He had been a long-time drug user. In 1997 he had been found guilty of trying to smuggle heroin into Japan. He told the presiding judge that he had begun using the drug (together with prescription morphine) to fight life-long pain resulting from a 1968 auto accident. No drugs were found in his system at the time of his death. Following the death of Rick Danko, The Band broke up for good.
Levon Helm died on 19 April 2012 from complications of throat cancer.
Don't Wait
The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I was searchin' by myself
Singin' old songs, see if they help
I took the low way along the sea
Met an older man and he said to me ..
'Sing me a song, son, lay it down'
It smelled like winter, it all felt fine
In that dry bone hazy late November time.
He said : 'I've known high times, more than once'
'Now I stick strictly to the honky tonks'
'And I've known danger and I've known defeat'
'I've seen whole generations fall to sleep'.
'I've danced with angels, I've drank my fill'
'I've talked with God out on the hill'
'And I know my face but I live my name'
'But I go by Charlie Hawker all the same'.
Where are you goin' tonight ?
Where are you goin' so late ?
Your country needs you, boy, don't wait
Where are you goin' ?
Where are you goin' ?
And then he stopped : 'Come here to me'
'So that I can look at you, so that I can see'
But then he smiled, he let me know
And in that space lies all the things I'll never know.
And then the sun sank in the West
He said : 'Boy, you know you may never be at rest'
I turned around to face the light
And with a heavy heart I walked into the night.
Where are you goin' tonight ?
Where are you goin' so late ?
Your country needs you, boy, don't wait
Where are you goin' ?
Where are you goin' ?
La la la la, la la la, ...
The Band's song Don't Wait is yet another masterpiece that is open to various interpretations. The song depicts a conversation between the singer and an older man who seems to have gone through life's highs and lows. The singer enters the scene searching for something in old songs when he meets the older man, who asks him to sing him a song, calling him 'son.' The older man reminisces about his life, saying he has known 'high times' and 'danger,' conversed with God on a hill and gone by different names over the years.
The tone of the song then shifts, and the older man asks the singer where he is going. He implores the singer, calling him 'boy,' to be mindful of his country, effectively cautioning him against making a mistake or being too reckless. In the end, the singer turns to face the light, and the song ends on a suspenseful note.
Some interpretations suggest that the song's inspiration came from Levon Helm's life and his father's advice, John L. Helm, a cotton farmer who also served as a sheriff. The song seems to suggest that the older man might have been offering some advice, which could have been beneficial in avoiding ruinous situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I was searchin' by myself
I was alone and trying to find something
Singin' old songs, see if they help
I was singing old songs to see if they could make me feel better
I took the low way along the sea
I traveled along the coast, through the less-traveled road
Met an older man and he said to me ..
I met an older man who said to me...
'Sing me a song, son, lay it down'
The older man asked me to sing him a song
'Bring it forth then stand your ground'
He asked me to sing with confidence and not be afraid
It smelled like winter, it all felt fine
The environment was like winter, but it felt good
In that dry bone hazy late November time.
It was a hazy late November day and everything was dry
He said : 'I've known high times, more than once'
The older man told me he knew what it was like to be happy many times
'Now I stick strictly to the honky tonks'
He now only frequents small bars and country music joints
'And I've known danger and I've known defeat'
He has also experienced danger and loss
'I've seen whole generations fall to sleep'.
He has witnessed many generations pass away
'I've danced with angels, I've drank my fill'
He has had many experiences, including spiritual ones and drinking
'I've talked with God out on the hill'
He has had personal experiences talking to God while alone on a hill
' And I know my face but I live my name'
He knows who he is, but how he lives and what he's known for is more important than his name
'But I go by Charlie Hawker all the same'.
He has a specific name, but he always goes by Charlie Hawker
Where are you goin' tonight ?
The older man asked where I was going that night
Where are you goin' so late ?
He further questioned why I was going out so late
Your country needs you, boy, don't wait
He reminded me that my country needed me and to not hesitate to serve
Where are you goin' ?
He asked me again where I was going that night
And then he stopped : 'Come here to me'
The older man stopped me and asked me to come closer to him
'So that I can look at you, so that I can see'
He wanted to get a good look at my face
But then he smiled, he let me know
He smiled to show me that he was satisfied with what he saw
And in that space lies all the things I'll never know.
In that moment, there were things that I would never understand or experience
And then the sun sank in the West
The sun set in the west
He said : 'Boy, you know you may never be at rest'
The older man said that I might never find peace in my life
I turned around to face the light
I turned around to face the direction of the setting sun
And with a heavy heart I walked into the night.
I walked away with a heavy heart, filled with thoughts about my life and future
La la la la, la la la, ...
The song ends with nonspecific vocalizations
Contributed by Chase G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.