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.
The Saga Of Pepote Rouge
The Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lives alone beyond the Mecca plain
And with her hands she makes it through the winter
She never goes against the grain
To be someone is to be someone alone
To be someone is known as solitude
To learn to sing below the surface
Break the news, the Pepote Rouge is coming to town
We stand accused, Pepote Rouge, of bein' hell bound
She had a vision, and now she holds the key
You don't know what you want, till you find out what you need
I was stranded on the damn coast when a lady
Called to me in a voice so soft and low
Her words resounded like a fountain of truth
And then she faded like a rainbow
Her golden spaceship with the mother of the earth
Carved in stone, the queen of avatars
Where seventy children were given birth
She then returned back to the stars
Break the news, the Pepote Rouge is coming to town
We stand accused, Pepote Rouge, of bein' hell bound
She can help us find our way and get across
You don't know what you gained, till you find out what you lost
The Pepote Rouge come down from the mountain
And lead our people into the light of day
For they are lost and know not where they're goin'
And all their leaders are cast in clay
Now disbelief and mass confusion
Spreading wild across the land
You can call it love or call it wisdom
To be not savin' a drowning man
Break the news, the Pepote Rouge is coming to town
We stand accused, Pepote Rouge, of bein' hell bound
She can show us just where we went wrong
You don't know where you're goin', till you find where you belong
The Saga of Pepote Rouge by The Band tells the story of a legendary lady living alone on a mountain beyond the Mecca plain. The lady is known for her ability to survive the winter with her own hands and without conforming to societal conventions. The song highlights the idea of solitude and how being an individual can sometimes lead to greatness. The verse "To be someone is to be someone alone, to be someone is known as solitude" explores how being an individual might not always be easy, but it can lead to a greater understanding of life.
The chorus of the song mentions "Pepote Rouge is coming to town" and how she is accused of being hell-bound. Pepote Rouge is symbolic of change and has the ability to help people find their way and get back on track. The verse "You don't know what you want till you find out what you need" highlights the idea that sometimes we need someone to guide us towards realizing what we truly need.
The final verse talks about how Pepote Rouge comes down from the mountain to lead the people who are lost and do not know where they are going. The song suggests that sometimes leaders are cast in clay, and the people need someone who can show them where they went wrong. The lyrics suggest that true wisdom is to help others, even if it means going against the norm.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a legend of a lady on the mountain
There is a mythical story about a woman who lives on a mountain.
Lives alone beyond the Mecca plain
She lives in solitude far from civilization.
And with her hands she makes it through the winter
She survives the harsh winter by relying on her own skills and resources.
She never goes against the grain
She never does anything that goes against her principles or beliefs.
To be someone is to be someone alone
True individuality means being alone and apart from the crowd.
To be someone is known as solitude
Being someone unique and different is often accompanied by loneliness.
To learn to sing below the surface
To understand deeper truths, one must look beyond surface level appearances and knowledge.
You must adjust your altitude
You need to change your perspective in order to comprehend the truth beneath the surface.
Break the news, the Pepote Rouge is coming to town
Spread the word, the legendary woman is coming to the town.
We stand accused, Pepote Rouge, of bein' hell bound
Some people accuse Pepote Rouge of being a sinner bound for hell.
She had a vision, and now she holds the key
Pepote Rouge had a vision and holds the key to unlock its truth.
You don't know what you want, till you find out what you need
Discovery of true needs helps to know what one really wants.
Her words resounded like a fountain of truth
The lady's words were powerful, akin to the purity of a natural spring of truth.
And then she faded like a rainbow
She vanished as transiently and beautifully as a rainbow.
Her golden spaceship with the mother of the earth
Her spaceship, gleaming with gold was a tribute to Mother Earth.
Carved in stone, the queen of avatars
A statue of a woman, representative of numerous avatars.
Where seventy children were given birth
Seventy children were supposedly born there.
She then returned back to the stars
After all this, she returned to the heavens.
The Pepote Rouge come down from the mountain
The legendary woman descended from the mountain.
And lead our people into the light of day
She guided the lost people towards new knowledge.
For they are lost and know not where they're goin'
The people were lost and directionless.
And all their leaders are cast in clay
All the leaders could not lead but were mere figures without essence or depth.
Now disbelief and mass confusion
People were skeptical and confused.
Spreading wild across the land
The disbelief and confusion were rampant throughout the area.
You can call it love or call it wisdom
It could either be love or wisdom.
To be not savin' a drowning man
It means not offering help to someone who is on the verge of sinking or failing.
She can show us just where we went wrong
The legendary woman can guide us towards our wrongdoings.
You don't know where you're goin', till you find where you belong
One can know where they are headed only after discovering their true belonging.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROBBIE ROBERTSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind