The Last Waltz — The Band’s Decadent And Heartbreaking Farewell Concert — It was Thanksgiving 1976. Five thousand people reunited at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco were served a traditional dinner with turkey and pumpkin pie. Meanwhile, the five musicians of The Band waited backstage with Bill Graham, the producer and promoter of the show called The Last Waltz. It was…

Rick Danko’s Self-Titled Album — An Unsung Gem — If you ever watched The Last Waltz — and since you are reading this blog post about Rick Danko, I suppose you had — you are familiar with the song Sip The Wine. In a segment of the movie, Rick plays this heartbreaking song for Martin Scorsese. This moment possesses…

My Modest Tribute To Rick Danko The most beautiful smile in the world. These words instantly come to my mind when I think about Rick Danko — which is often. He’s the first member of The Band I laid eyes on when I came across The Last Waltz on PBS several years ago. He’s the one…

The Influence Of Music From Big Pink, The Band’s First Album For those familiar with the album Music From Big Pink, the title brings to mind quaint images of the house where the legendary basement tapes with Bob Dylan took place. Even though The Band didn’t actually record Music From Big Pink in Big Pink, the album conveys the spirit of…

Rick Danko and Bob Dylan — 1965–1967 — This Wheel’s On Fire — The 1965 Tour Bob Dylan and Rick Danko met in 1965, when they were both at a crossroads in their lives. In March, Bob had released Bringing It All Back Home, an album ingeniously blending electric songs with folk ones. Four months later, the Newport Festival, famously known as when “Dylan went electric,”…

A review of Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Cheryl Strayed was a disillusioned woman when she decided to hike 1100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Her mother’s death three years earlier and her recent divorce had left her heartbroken. Then, on a rough winter day, while she was waiting in line…