The Band News

(12/29/00, 10 a.m. ET) - Today (December 29) marks what would have been singer, songwriter, and bassist Rick Danko's 58th birthday. Danko died last December 10, at the age of 56. Danko was one of the founding members of the group the Band in the late '60s. Prior to forming the Band, Danko and the other members of the group--Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, and the late Richard Manuel--were the back-up band for both Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan.

At 17, Danko joined the Hawks with the rest of the musicians who would later become the Band, and they toured with Hawkins. In the mid-'60s, after leaving Hawkins, the group partnered with Bob Dylan (for live dates and the recordings that eventually became The Basement Tapes).

In 1968, the Band released its first album, Music From Big Pink. The Band became one of the most influential rock groups of all time; the songs "Up On Cripple Creek," "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down," and "The Weight" became classics.

After a successful run and several critically acclaimed albums, the Band split up in 1976 after the famous Thanksgiving concert known as "The Last Waltz." Guest performances included Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Neil Young, Dr. John, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and the Staple Singers, among others. Filmed live and directed by Martin Scorsese, The Last Waltz was hailed as one of the best concert films ever made. Danko told LAUNCH: "I didn't really believe that we were putting it away like that. . .thought we'd maybe at least release a record a year, but we didn't." Danko then embarked on a solo career.

In recent years, Danko, Hudson, and Helm reformed the Band at various times and recorded the album Jericho in 1983. Last September, Danko released his first major solo album in several years, Live On Breeze Hill; and earlier this year, the posthumous Times Like These--the last album Danko worked on before his death--was released. Several of Danko's friends and former Bandmates stepped in to contribute and finish the album for him.

Last year, in one of the last interviews of his life, Danko told LAUNCH about his concerns for the world and how he believed it was time people became aware and tried to make a difference. "There was a time when we were younger, when we all wanted to change the world," he said, "and I got a little older and wiser and thought, Well I'm not gonna change the world, but perhaps I could help the neighborhood."

LAUNCH recently spoke with Danko's widow Elizabeth and asked her how she would want Rick Danko remembered. "As a really good person who was a great musician and just a wonderful husband--as the person he was," she replied. "He was the person, you know, you got what you saw. He was very genuine and he enjoyed life and he enjoyed doing what he did. You know, he wouldn't have done anything else as long as he could do what he was doing."

-- Sue Falco, New York Got news tips, comments, or questions? Send them to newstips@launch.com.