Marc Charles Williams, better known as Mars Williams, the front-and-center saxophonist of ’80s New Wave bands The Waitresses and The Psychedelic Furs, died Nov. 20 of the rare and aggressive ampullary cancer in a Chicago hospice facility. He was 68.
His death was announced by his family on a GoFundMe page last month, but has more recently gained widespread attention. His brother Paul R. Williams confirmed the cause of death to The New York Times for an obituary posted today.
Following his initial stints in the Waitresses and Psychedelic Furs – both bands were early MTV favorites with videos often spotlighting the playful Williams, and he would reunite with the Furs throughout his life – the saxophonist went on to lead his own jazz ensembles including the influential, Grammy-nominated acid jazz group Liquid Soul in the 1990s.
A statement posted by his family on the GoFundMe page reads, in part, “Until the end, Mars’ inexhaustible humor and energy,...
His death was announced by his family on a GoFundMe page last month, but has more recently gained widespread attention. His brother Paul R. Williams confirmed the cause of death to The New York Times for an obituary posted today.
Following his initial stints in the Waitresses and Psychedelic Furs – both bands were early MTV favorites with videos often spotlighting the playful Williams, and he would reunite with the Furs throughout his life – the saxophonist went on to lead his own jazz ensembles including the influential, Grammy-nominated acid jazz group Liquid Soul in the 1990s.
A statement posted by his family on the GoFundMe page reads, in part, “Until the end, Mars’ inexhaustible humor and energy,...
- 12/22/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features guitarist Jim Weider.
According to conventional rock wisdom, the Band ended on Thanksgiving 1976 with The Last Waltz, the most famous farewell concert in music history.
According to conventional rock wisdom, the Band ended on Thanksgiving 1976 with The Last Waltz, the most famous farewell concert in music history.
- 10/30/2023
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Wilco had no problem taking the blame on their recent single “Evicted,” and they found a home for it on stage at Jimmy Kimmel Live. The band performed the song from their latest album, Cousin, which is colored with eccentric production from celebrated Welsh musician Cate Le Bon.
“I guess I was trying to write from the point of view of someone struggling to make an argument for themself in the face of overwhelming evidence that they deserve to be locked out of someone’s heart,” frontman Jeff Tweedy explained...
“I guess I was trying to write from the point of view of someone struggling to make an argument for themself in the face of overwhelming evidence that they deserve to be locked out of someone’s heart,” frontman Jeff Tweedy explained...
- 10/10/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
By the time Martin Scorsese’s music documentary “The Last Waltz” premiered in 1978, the legendary Americana music progenitors the Band, whom the film explores, had gone from “Cahoots” to kaput for two years.
The 1976 farewell concert at the center of the film was already a piece of rock and roll history by the time the film debuted. Seeing it Oct. 5 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles in celebration of its 45th anniversary, it’s clear how much history and American music culture was also saying “Good Night” with Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm and the Band’s unofficial leader Robbie Robertson (who called the group “The Brotherhood.”)
To help sort out the importance of “Waltz’s” place in rock history was music historian Harvey Kubernik, who shared his recollections of attending the concert at the Winterland Theater in San Francisco; music rights firm CEO/founder Olivier Chastain,...
The 1976 farewell concert at the center of the film was already a piece of rock and roll history by the time the film debuted. Seeing it Oct. 5 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles in celebration of its 45th anniversary, it’s clear how much history and American music culture was also saying “Good Night” with Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm and the Band’s unofficial leader Robbie Robertson (who called the group “The Brotherhood.”)
To help sort out the importance of “Waltz’s” place in rock history was music historian Harvey Kubernik, who shared his recollections of attending the concert at the Winterland Theater in San Francisco; music rights firm CEO/founder Olivier Chastain,...
- 10/9/2023
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
It’s late afternoon in the back of the Princess Theatre in downtown Decatur, Alabama. Sitting in front of a brightly-lit mirror in the green room of the historic venue, blues-rocker Samantha Fish is readying herself for the show alongside her musical-partner-in-crime of late, Jesse Dayton. The duo is in the midst of a whirlwind tour for their album Death Wish Blues.
“The blues speaks to people of all generations at different times in their life — it’s just kind of your soul,” Fish tells Rolling Stone backstage. “Watching a great [blues] band,...
“The blues speaks to people of all generations at different times in their life — it’s just kind of your soul,” Fish tells Rolling Stone backstage. “Watching a great [blues] band,...
- 9/17/2023
- by Garret K. Woodward
- Rollingstone.com
Jeff Tweedy never meant to be a memoirist. “I was kind of recruited to write a book based on some agent’s idea that I might be able to write something worth reading,” he says, recalling a conversation five or more years ago. “I said, ‘Sure, I guess.’ It felt accidental.” That somewhat inauspicious beginning led to Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back), the acclaimed memoir that Tweedy published in 2018. A couple of years later, he wrote a second bestseller, How to Write One Song, encouraging readers to tap into their own creativity.
- 9/13/2023
- by Simon Vozick-Levinson
- Rollingstone.com
In June of 2020, with a pandemic raging, Robbie Robertson took some time to look back at his career with the Band, from writing their greatest hits to their work with Bob Dylan. The release of his documentary Once Were Brothers had him a reflective mood, ready to share new details about the music he made with Band-mates Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, and Levon Helm. In the wake of Robertson’s death at age 80 this week, here’s a full text version of that interview, published here for the first time.
- 8/13/2023
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
If there’s a moment that sums up the genius of Robbie Robertson, it’s the part in The Last Waltz when they play “It Makes No Difference.” All five brothers in the Band perform like they’re reading each other’s minds. Every detail is perfect: Robertson’s guitar, Rick Danko’s voice, Garth Hudson’s sax. They’re singing about loneliness, yet with the sound that only trusted comrades can make together. But you can hear that these guys are already mourning the death of their brotherhood. It’s their famous farewell concert,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
Robbie Robertson found his faith and purpose on the radio. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, this child of jewelry-plating factory workers discovered rock-and-roll via the Am airwaves of Wkbw out of Buffalo, New York, and fell hard for the blues in the wee hours when Wlac deejay John R. blasted the 12-bar gospel into his bedroom from the far-off music mecca of Nashville, Tennessee. His path was set, and it brought him to rowdy rockabilly artist Ronnie Hawkins, who was impressed enough with a teenage Robertson's guitar acumen to bring him on as a member of his backing band The Hawks. In the early 1960s, Robertson formed a bond with singer/bassist Rick Danko, singer/pianist Richard Manuel, multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson, and singer-drummer Levon Helm.
It's here that these five, brilliantly talented rock-blues aficionados formed The Band.
Robertson, who passed away today at the age of 80 after a long illness,...
It's here that these five, brilliantly talented rock-blues aficionados formed The Band.
Robertson, who passed away today at the age of 80 after a long illness,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The life of Robbie Robertson — who died Wednesday morning after a long illness — can neatly be divided into everything that happened before The Last Waltz and everything that happened afterward. The 1976 all-star concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom marked the end of his career with the Band, the end of his years as a touring musician, and the start of life as an elder statesman of rock.
He went out by throwing one of the biggest concerts in rock history featuring Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Neil Diamond,...
He went out by throwing one of the biggest concerts in rock history featuring Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Neil Diamond,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Robbie Robertson, the founding guitarist for The Band, has passed away. According to Robertson’s longtime manager Jared Levine, the world-famous musician passed away on Wednesday. He was 80.
Born Jaime Robbie Robertson on July 5, 1974, in Toronto, the Hall of Famer played on The Band’s classic hits like “The Weight,” “Rag Mama Rag,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Atlantic City,” “Jawbone,” and more. Nominated for five Grammy awards, Robertson arrived on the music scene at the influential age of 16, when he played for Ronnie Hawkins’ The Hawks. He helped found the Americana genre and was Bob Dylan’s guitarist on the “electric” world tour in 1966.
The Hall of Fame released an official statement about Robertson’s passing, which you can read below:
The architect and primary songwriter of The Band, 1994 inductee Robbie Robertson changed the course of popular music in the late 1960s. Though born and raised in Canada,...
Born Jaime Robbie Robertson on July 5, 1974, in Toronto, the Hall of Famer played on The Band’s classic hits like “The Weight,” “Rag Mama Rag,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Atlantic City,” “Jawbone,” and more. Nominated for five Grammy awards, Robertson arrived on the music scene at the influential age of 16, when he played for Ronnie Hawkins’ The Hawks. He helped found the Americana genre and was Bob Dylan’s guitarist on the “electric” world tour in 1966.
The Hall of Fame released an official statement about Robertson’s passing, which you can read below:
The architect and primary songwriter of The Band, 1994 inductee Robbie Robertson changed the course of popular music in the late 1960s. Though born and raised in Canada,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Robbie Robertson, co-founder and guitarist of The Band, has died at the age of 80.
An announcement from the Canadian rock legend’s management confirms that Robertson died Wednesday after a long illness.
“Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny,” reads a statement that was sent to Et. “He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel and Seraphina. Robertson recently completed his 14th film music project with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support a new Woodland Cultural Center.”
Read More: Robbie Robertson Releases ‘Happy Holidays’ Song
Robertson’s music career sparked on Toronto’s Yonge Street in...
An announcement from the Canadian rock legend’s management confirms that Robertson died Wednesday after a long illness.
“Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny,” reads a statement that was sent to Et. “He is also survived by his grandchildren Angelica, Donovan, Dominic, Gabriel and Seraphina. Robertson recently completed his 14th film music project with frequent collaborator Martin Scorsese, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Six Nations of the Grand River to support a new Woodland Cultural Center.”
Read More: Robbie Robertson Releases ‘Happy Holidays’ Song
Robertson’s music career sparked on Toronto’s Yonge Street in...
- 8/9/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Robbie Robertson, the Band’s guitarist and primary songwriter who penned “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and many other beloved classics, died Wednesday at age 80.
Robertson’s management company confirmed the musician’s death. “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny,” his longtime manager Jared Levine said in a statement. “In lieu of flowers, the family...
Robertson’s management company confirmed the musician’s death. “Robbie was surrounded by his family at the time of his death, including his wife, Janet, his ex-wife, Dominique, her partner Nicholas, and his children Alexandra, Sebastian, Delphine, and Delphine’s partner Kenny,” his longtime manager Jared Levine said in a statement. “In lieu of flowers, the family...
- 8/9/2023
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Keith Richards has spent much of his career insulting his fellow musicians. He rolls his eyes at competing acts and has even turned his scorn on his bandmates in The Rolling Stones. Richards found many things to criticize, including, in one instance, a band sounding too perfect. He shared why he didn’t like Bob Dylan’s backing group, The Band.
Keith Richards thought fellow musicians The Band sounded too clean
In the 1960s, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Dylan were some of the biggest musical acts in the world. Richards liked Dylan and The Beatles, but he thought Dylan’s backing band, The Band, left something to be desired.
“I saw them at the Dylan gig on the Isle of Wight and I was disappointed,” he told Rolling Stone in 1969. “Dylan was beautiful, especially when he did the songs by himself. He has a unique rhythm which only...
Keith Richards thought fellow musicians The Band sounded too clean
In the 1960s, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Dylan were some of the biggest musical acts in the world. Richards liked Dylan and The Beatles, but he thought Dylan’s backing band, The Band, left something to be desired.
“I saw them at the Dylan gig on the Isle of Wight and I was disappointed,” he told Rolling Stone in 1969. “Dylan was beautiful, especially when he did the songs by himself. He has a unique rhythm which only...
- 7/22/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Garth Hudson, co-founder of The Band, played a rare set at a New York house party this week.
Hudson attended a house concert hosted by the musician and fellow keyboardist Sarah Perrotta. In a clip shared by Perotta, the 85-year-old Hudson is seen playing Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” on piano from his wheelchair, marking his first public performance since 2018. Check it out below.
Like the rest of The Band, Hudson got his start as a member of The Hawks, the backing band for Toronto rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. After outgrowing Hawkins, the group joined Bob Dylan for his 1965 and 1966 tours, the latter known as the “electric tour.” At the time, Hudson was one of the few organists in rock and roll to play an electric Hammond organ. The Hawks joined Dylan on a number of recording sessions, though few official tracks from this period were released. They did, however,...
Hudson attended a house concert hosted by the musician and fellow keyboardist Sarah Perrotta. In a clip shared by Perotta, the 85-year-old Hudson is seen playing Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” on piano from his wheelchair, marking his first public performance since 2018. Check it out below.
Like the rest of The Band, Hudson got his start as a member of The Hawks, the backing band for Toronto rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. After outgrowing Hawkins, the group joined Bob Dylan for his 1965 and 1966 tours, the latter known as the “electric tour.” At the time, Hudson was one of the few organists in rock and roll to play an electric Hammond organ. The Hawks joined Dylan on a number of recording sessions, though few official tracks from this period were released. They did, however,...
- 4/18/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
In his decades as a musician, Ringo Starr has received well-earned praise from a number of other artists. He has also celebrated his fellow musicians. Here are five artists who Starr has praised over the years.
Ringo Starr | Noam Galai/Getty Images Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish
In 2021, Starr presented Billie Eilish with a Grammy for Record of the Year. Afterward, he admitted that he counts himself as one of her fans.
“It was a great pleasure for me to do the Grammys on Sunday and presenting the Best Record to Billie Eilish who I think is just incredible, and Finneas who came through for me on my EP,” he said, per NME. “It was great to meet her and musically she’s great. She’s a beautiful human being.”
He wished he had more time to speak with her but still found her impressive. He also tossed in a compliment for Miley Cyrus.
Ringo Starr | Noam Galai/Getty Images Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish
In 2021, Starr presented Billie Eilish with a Grammy for Record of the Year. Afterward, he admitted that he counts himself as one of her fans.
“It was a great pleasure for me to do the Grammys on Sunday and presenting the Best Record to Billie Eilish who I think is just incredible, and Finneas who came through for me on my EP,” he said, per NME. “It was great to meet her and musically she’s great. She’s a beautiful human being.”
He wished he had more time to speak with her but still found her impressive. He also tossed in a compliment for Miley Cyrus.
- 4/14/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It’s no exaggeration to say that if Ronnie Hawkins, the rockabilly legend who died Sunday at 87, didn’t exist, that rock music would not be the same. The Arkansas singer who spent most of his career in Canada mentored and worked with numerous rock legends, with his band the Hawks a breeding ground for the musicians that would eventually become The Band.
On Sunday night, The Band member Robbie Robertson wrote that his “heart sank” learning upon Hawkins’ death and penned a heartfelt tribute to his early mentor.
My...
On Sunday night, The Band member Robbie Robertson wrote that his “heart sank” learning upon Hawkins’ death and penned a heartfelt tribute to his early mentor.
My...
- 5/30/2022
- by Jason Newman
- Rollingstone.com
Ronnie Hawkins, the Canadian rockabilly singer known as “the Hawk,” who mentored the Band and played with rock’s greats, died Sunday morning. He was 87.
“He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever,” Wanda Hawkins, his wife, told the Canadian Press. A cause of death was not immediately available.
Though he was born in Arkansas, Hawkins called Canada home for most of his career. and was considered a formative influence on the evolution of the country’s rock scene thanks to his passion for Southern blues music.
In...
“He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever,” Wanda Hawkins, his wife, told the Canadian Press. A cause of death was not immediately available.
Though he was born in Arkansas, Hawkins called Canada home for most of his career. and was considered a formative influence on the evolution of the country’s rock scene thanks to his passion for Southern blues music.
In...
- 5/29/2022
- by Sarah Grant
- Rollingstone.com
Ronnie Hawkins, the Southern rockabilly singer who helped shape and launch the Band and other Canadian rock artists, died Sunday after battling a long-term illness. He was 87.
Hawkins’ death was confirmed to The Canadian Press by his wife, Wanda: “He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever.”
The musician, revered by his peers and followers as ‘the Hawk,’ grew his reputation with his highest-charting single, “Mary Lou” which reached No. 26 in the U.S. charts. The Hawk was famous for his stage presence, characterized by his robust vocals and humorous exchanges, including his signature “camel walk” dance.
The Arkansas native began touring in Ontario in 1958. By the time he was featured in a CBC Telescope documentary, he was beloved by Canadian artists and audiences.
“You know, I don’t know anything about Canadian politics, the price of wheat or Niagara Falls,” he said in the documentary. “But I...
Hawkins’ death was confirmed to The Canadian Press by his wife, Wanda: “He went peacefully and he looked as handsome as ever.”
The musician, revered by his peers and followers as ‘the Hawk,’ grew his reputation with his highest-charting single, “Mary Lou” which reached No. 26 in the U.S. charts. The Hawk was famous for his stage presence, characterized by his robust vocals and humorous exchanges, including his signature “camel walk” dance.
The Arkansas native began touring in Ontario in 1958. By the time he was featured in a CBC Telescope documentary, he was beloved by Canadian artists and audiences.
“You know, I don’t know anything about Canadian politics, the price of wheat or Niagara Falls,” he said in the documentary. “But I...
- 5/29/2022
- by Thania Garcia
- Variety Film + TV
In reviewing the jaw-dropping induction of Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz into the Criterion Collection, one must begin with its remarkable cover art. It’s a photograph that I have never seen before -- this coming from someone who has seen A Lot of photographs of The Band -- and it's one that says a great deal about the moment it has captured… easily a thousand words, though perhaps Mavis Staples said it best with just one, “Beautiful”. In the photo, we see Scorsese directing his subjects for the final scene of the film. Everyone in The Band, songwriter/lead guitarist Robbie Robertson, bassist/vocalist Rick Danko, organist, Garth Hudson, and pianist/vocalist Richard Manuel all look to their maestro Marty with seeming enthused complicity in his framing of...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/4/2022
- Screen Anarchy
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
“Bye-bye To The Band”
By Raymond Benson
One of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed rock concert films is Martin Scorsese’s documentary, The Last Waltz, which was unleashed in the spring of 1978. The movie documents the final concert performed by The Band, the legendary session group for Bob Dylan and others that became a recording and touring entity in their own right in the late 1960s and early 70s.
The Band, hailing from Canada, got their start as The Hawks, the backup band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. By the mid-sixties, they were working for Dylan with the name change to The Band, and also started recording on their own (Music from Big Pink was their debut in 1968). At the time of their breakup, the group consisted of Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko (bass, guitar, fiddle, vocals), Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Levon Helm,...
“Bye-bye To The Band”
By Raymond Benson
One of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed rock concert films is Martin Scorsese’s documentary, The Last Waltz, which was unleashed in the spring of 1978. The movie documents the final concert performed by The Band, the legendary session group for Bob Dylan and others that became a recording and touring entity in their own right in the late 1960s and early 70s.
The Band, hailing from Canada, got their start as The Hawks, the backup band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. By the mid-sixties, they were working for Dylan with the name change to The Band, and also started recording on their own (Music from Big Pink was their debut in 1968). At the time of their breakup, the group consisted of Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko (bass, guitar, fiddle, vocals), Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Levon Helm,...
- 3/12/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
With the entire catalogue of The Ed Sullivan Show recently added to streaming platforms, fans can watch performances that were previously only available as low-resolution bootlegs. The series’ YouTube channel has clips that include Ike & Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and, as of Sunday, the Band.
The November 2nd, 1969 video features a full clip of “Up On Cripple Creek” (until now, it was only available as a 30-second preview). The group was promoting the release of their self-titled LP, released two months prior. Levon Helm takes the lead on vocals in a tweed jacket,...
The November 2nd, 1969 video features a full clip of “Up On Cripple Creek” (until now, it was only available as a 30-second preview). The group was promoting the release of their self-titled LP, released two months prior. Levon Helm takes the lead on vocals in a tweed jacket,...
- 5/3/2021
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Just when you think “The Weight” has reached peak exposure in the culture, Robbie Robertson’s 1968 song — and its original recording by the Band — always manages to stage a comeback. During the past five decades, it’s repeatedly popped up in soundtracks, from Easy Rider to The Big Chill to the recent Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In 2019, an all-star remake featuring Robertson, Ringo Starr and musicians from around the world generated millions of views. And next week, a new Band box set will revive “The Weight” again,...
- 2/4/2021
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
In the summer of 1989, Ringo Starr proved that fading, under-employed rock stars like Levon Helm, Billy Preston, Joe Walsh, Dr. John, and Rick Danko could rise out of the casino and state-fair circuit by joining forces in a giant supergroup that plays nothing but their biggest hits. And for the past 32 years, his All Starr Band has given refuge to countless other artists who can no longer fill the big venues on their own.
But Ringo took a year off in 1990 and gave an opening for others to try out the formula.
But Ringo took a year off in 1990 and gave an opening for others to try out the formula.
- 1/28/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
It’s been three decades since Ringo Starr founded his All Starr supergroup and took the stage with some of rock and roll’s biggest luminaries, creating an exceptional legacy of performances of some of the greatest hits of all time culled from Starr’s extraordinary catalog as a solo artist and as Beatle, as well as the All Starr Band members’ substantive songbook.
In celebration of this milestone, and just in time for the holiday season, a new limited-edition retrospective hardcover book titled “Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs,” will be sold online exclusively beginning Wednesday, December 16 at juliensauctions.com.
This not to be missed commemorative photo memoir features some never-before-seen photos of the All Starr Band’s 30 record-setting years in the spotlight and life on the road, compiled by Henry Diltz and Jill Jarrett (who have followed Ringo Starr’s All Starr career since 1989), as well as...
In celebration of this milestone, and just in time for the holiday season, a new limited-edition retrospective hardcover book titled “Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs,” will be sold online exclusively beginning Wednesday, December 16 at juliensauctions.com.
This not to be missed commemorative photo memoir features some never-before-seen photos of the All Starr Band’s 30 record-setting years in the spotlight and life on the road, compiled by Henry Diltz and Jill Jarrett (who have followed Ringo Starr’s All Starr career since 1989), as well as...
- 12/22/2020
- Look to the Stars
The Band’s 1970 LP Stage Fright turns 50 this year and they’re going to celebrate on February 12th, 2021 by releasing a deluxe edition containing a new stereo mix, a live set taped at London’s Royal Albert Hall in June 1971, and a never-before-released jam session between Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel captured while Stage Fright was in the mixing stages.
Stage Fright was released on August 16th, 1970 and it features some of the Band’s most beloved songs, including “The Shape I’m In,” “The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show,...
Stage Fright was released on August 16th, 1970 and it features some of the Band’s most beloved songs, including “The Shape I’m In,” “The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show,...
- 12/18/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
In his memoir Testimony, Robbie Robertson recalls the first time he played a new song called “The Weight” for Bob Dylan. “This is fantastic — who wrote that?” Dylan said. When Robertson replied that he had, Dylan “shook his head, slapped me on the arm and said, ‘Damn! You wrote that song?’” Robertson wrote.
That exchange would just be the beginning of a peculiar relationship between Dylan, Robertson and one of the most enduring standards of classic rock. Yesterday, Universal Music Publishing acquired Dylan’s catalog of 600 songs, for a price rumored to be around $400 million.
That exchange would just be the beginning of a peculiar relationship between Dylan, Robertson and one of the most enduring standards of classic rock. Yesterday, Universal Music Publishing acquired Dylan’s catalog of 600 songs, for a price rumored to be around $400 million.
- 12/8/2020
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
“This film should be played loud!” It’s a cliché now, a concert-movie disclaimer that’s become the equivalent of that hippie-dippy tagline from those Freedom Rock compilation ads (“Well, turn it up, maaaaan.”) But in the late Seventies, when it first flashed onscreen in all white font against a stark black background before the credits of The Last Waltz, you knew it meant business. Keep moving that volume knob clockwise, folks. Let the needle swing into the red.
And then we begin at the end, with the weary members...
And then we begin at the end, with the weary members...
- 11/25/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
All but one of the tracks on Bob Dylan’s new album Together Through Life are co-written with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. It’s the most help he’s ever had on a single album, but hardly the first time Dylan has written with a partner. Over the past 45 years he’s shared credit with Tom Petty, Rick Danko, Sam Shepard, Carole Bayer Sager and even Gene Simmons and Michael Bolton. Here are the stories behind five of those collaborations.
“Hurricane” (with Jacques Levy)
Dylan teamed up with New...
“Hurricane” (with Jacques Levy)
Dylan teamed up with New...
- 10/23/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Unless something very big changes in the next couple of months, 2020 will go down in history as the first year since 1977 that Bob Dylan didn’t perform live even a single time. This obviously isn’t by choice. He was supposed to play Japan in April and then travel across America in the summer on a bill with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Hot Club of Cowtown. The pandemic had other plans and he hasn’t been seen in public since December 8th, 2019 when he played the Anthem in Washington D.
- 9/3/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Cathy Smith, the onetime girlfriend of singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot who might have been best remembered for inspiring the hit song “Sundown” had she not met up with John Belushi at the Chateau Marmont on March 5, 1982, died Aug. 18 at the age of 73.
Her death was reported by Canada’s The Globe and Mail. The longtime resident of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, had been on oxygen and in failing health the past few years, the newspaper said.
Smith, who had been a back-up singer (and occasional drug supplier) to the Canadian rockers who would later become The Band (she claimed “The Weight” was inspired by her), admitted to injecting Belushi with the heroin and cocaine that led to his death at age 33. In a 1986 plea bargain, she pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and several drug charges and served a 15-month prison sentence at California Institution for Women. Upon release, she was deported to her native Canada,...
Her death was reported by Canada’s The Globe and Mail. The longtime resident of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, had been on oxygen and in failing health the past few years, the newspaper said.
Smith, who had been a back-up singer (and occasional drug supplier) to the Canadian rockers who would later become The Band (she claimed “The Weight” was inspired by her), admitted to injecting Belushi with the heroin and cocaine that led to his death at age 33. In a 1986 plea bargain, she pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and several drug charges and served a 15-month prison sentence at California Institution for Women. Upon release, she was deported to her native Canada,...
- 8/27/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Last Waltz is one of the greatest concert movies of all time. It’s also one of the most over-tributed. But Marcus King and a cast of Nashville’s finest breathed new life into the Band’s storied farewell show on Monday night with fresh arrangements and, in some cases, even new lyrics.
The leader of the Marcus King Band wrapped up his Four of Kind: Live From Nashville virtual concert series by playing 15 songs from the landmark 1976 gig, along with a group of friendly musicians. Opening with a slowed-down,...
The leader of the Marcus King Band wrapped up his Four of Kind: Live From Nashville virtual concert series by playing 15 songs from the landmark 1976 gig, along with a group of friendly musicians. Opening with a slowed-down,...
- 8/4/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Roger Waters’ massive, star-studded production of The Wall in Berlin in 1990, just eight months after the wall was torn down, remains one of the most surreal odysseys into the nexus of music, theater, and charity. Perhaps the greatest highlight during the show, which raised money for victims of natural disasters, was “Comfortably Numb,” which found Van Morrison and the Band joining Waters for the album’s climactic showstopper.
Waters sang his verses dressed in a doctor’s overcoat (a stagehand even hands him a stethoscope), and he faced the 60-by-600–foot Styrofoam-brick wall,...
Waters sang his verses dressed in a doctor’s overcoat (a stagehand even hands him a stethoscope), and he faced the 60-by-600–foot Styrofoam-brick wall,...
- 7/21/2020
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
He knew the right people, worked with the right collaborators, and looked and dressed better than many in his circle. But as even his friends acknowledged, timing was never one of David Blue’s strong suits — and if anyone needed a reminder, it arrived at his funeral.
For much of Blue’s career leading up to that day in December 1982, life hadn’t seemed especially fair. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist had rarely complained about it, but everyone except him seemed to be reaping the rewards of a life in music.
For much of Blue’s career leading up to that day in December 1982, life hadn’t seemed especially fair. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist had rarely complained about it, but everyone except him seemed to be reaping the rewards of a life in music.
- 6/23/2020
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
One Los Angeles evening in 1975, Neil Young gathered a few friends together at the Chateau Marmont to play them some music. He had two new albums in the can, and wasn’t sure which one to release. Sitting inside the same bungalow that John Belushi would die in just seven years later, Young’s friends — which included some of his Crazy Horse bandmates and Rick Danko and Richard Manuel of the Band — listened to two wildly different records.
First up was Tonight’s the Night, a grueling, Tequila-engorged meditation on fallen...
First up was Tonight’s the Night, a grueling, Tequila-engorged meditation on fallen...
- 6/15/2020
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Donald Lasala was checking the security cameras at his upstate New York property when he saw a man wander into his yard, look both ways, then kneel to kiss the grass. Dr. Matthew Krauthamer once found a group of friends having a picnic on his front lawn. Justin Berthiaume lucked out one day when he found a sizable bud of marijuana taped to his gate. And then there’s Bridget Bobel McIntyre, who admittedly doesn’t feel cool enough to live in her Brooklyn apartment.
These four people have one...
These four people have one...
- 3/30/2020
- by Brenna Ehrlich
- Rollingstone.com
A 2019 video of Robbie Robertson playing “The Weight” with Ringo Starr and musicians from all over the world went viral again this week for reasons that aren’t quite clear, but maybe people isolated in their homes just needed something uplifting to watch. “This started circulating on Twitter again a couple days ago,” Robertson wrote on Facebook on Monday. “Hopefully it can bring the Fb community a bit of joy in these difficult times. Blessings to all.”
It wasn’t the first time that Ringo had performed a Band classic...
It wasn’t the first time that Ringo had performed a Band classic...
- 3/24/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Note this documentary’s subtitle: Robbie Robertson and the Band. The name of this portrait of the legendary rock group — Once Were Brothers — comes from a cut off a 2019 Robertson solo album; the phrase exemplifies, in the singer-songwriter’s words, how he felt about the four other men who stood beside him on hundreds of stages, in dozens of studios and within one extremely famous pink house’s basement. It’s the second part, however, that’s more revealing…especially that telltale “and.” Director Daniel Roher starts by diving into...
- 2/21/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band plays with the hits and rolls the punches.
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Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band is a loving look at the memories of the founding guitarist and main songwriter of his band. Robertson is a storyteller, in verse or narration, and he has almost purely fond memories of the group, its music and the other guys in it: Drummer Levon Helm, who sang lead on some of their most signature songs, bassist Rick Danko and keyboardist Richard Manuel, whose vocals also led classic songs, and Garth Hudson who created soulful sounds from almost any instrument. The purity is put to the test, but who's telling the story? The guy who looked inside the acoustic guitar he was fingering and pulled into Nazareth with a heavy load but friends to help him bear "The Weight."
Early in his career,...
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Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band is a loving look at the memories of the founding guitarist and main songwriter of his band. Robertson is a storyteller, in verse or narration, and he has almost purely fond memories of the group, its music and the other guys in it: Drummer Levon Helm, who sang lead on some of their most signature songs, bassist Rick Danko and keyboardist Richard Manuel, whose vocals also led classic songs, and Garth Hudson who created soulful sounds from almost any instrument. The purity is put to the test, but who's telling the story? The guy who looked inside the acoustic guitar he was fingering and pulled into Nazareth with a heavy load but friends to help him bear "The Weight."
Early in his career,...
- 1/13/2020
- Den of Geek
A Documentary reviewed by Peter BelsitoThis is an unusual film, which I saw at Whistler Film Fest, and which chronicles our music culture where a lot of it began, with a few visionary musicians in the 70’s. That is in Canada, where many are from, and also Woodstock NY in the 70’s where many lived and worked.Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Richard Manuel in Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (2019)
Cast: Robbie Robertson, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison, Dominique Robertson and Bob Dylan
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band has so much footage — of songs being played, the artists relating to and performing for one another — on and off the stage. Not only was there a lot of footage taken, music and conversations recorded but, and this amazed me, it was preserved, organized and used here to not...
Cast: Robbie Robertson, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison, Dominique Robertson and Bob Dylan
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band has so much footage — of songs being played, the artists relating to and performing for one another — on and off the stage. Not only was there a lot of footage taken, music and conversations recorded but, and this amazed me, it was preserved, organized and used here to not...
- 12/25/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
In the new book 1973: Rock at the Crossroads, writer Andrew Grant Jackson gives a comprehensive account of the year of 1973 and its legendary music and momentous social change. He breaks down the iconic year chronologically, from the release of Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy in March to The Exorcist hitting theaters in December. Read a chapter below, titled “Counterculture ’73,’ in which Jackson breaks down the pivotal counterculture moments of the summer.
The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, New York, on July 28 makes the Guinness Book of World...
The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, New York, on July 28 makes the Guinness Book of World...
- 12/5/2019
- by Rolling Stone
- Rollingstone.com
For the better part of the past few decades, Robbie Robertson has been more comfortable in the studio carefully crafting and composing music than he has been sharing it with the wider public. But 2019 has been different, and with good reason.
This year alone, Robertson’s documentary about his former musical outfit The Band, “Once Were Brothers,” opened up the Toronto Film Festival, scored Martin Scorsese’s lates mob epic, “The Irishman,” oversaw The Band ‘s latest box set release and even found time to put out “Sinematic,” his first album in eight years. And this was all just in the past few months.
Despite having not released an album of new material since 2011’s “How To Become Clairvoyant” where he collaborated with Eric Clapton, Robertson has maintained a rigorous schedule, hunkering down mostly at the legendary Village Studios in Santa Monica. The result of those long hours comes in...
This year alone, Robertson’s documentary about his former musical outfit The Band, “Once Were Brothers,” opened up the Toronto Film Festival, scored Martin Scorsese’s lates mob epic, “The Irishman,” oversaw The Band ‘s latest box set release and even found time to put out “Sinematic,” his first album in eight years. And this was all just in the past few months.
Despite having not released an album of new material since 2011’s “How To Become Clairvoyant” where he collaborated with Eric Clapton, Robertson has maintained a rigorous schedule, hunkering down mostly at the legendary Village Studios in Santa Monica. The result of those long hours comes in...
- 11/1/2019
- by Daniel Kohn
- The Wrap
In one way, “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band” is an odd choice to serve as the opening-night film at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. At a festival chock full of major awards contenders with big movie stars, it’s a documentary about a musician whose music is mostly heard on the occasional oldies station or Americana Spotify channel, by a director, Daniel Roher, with only one previous feature on his resume.
But “Once Were Brothers” sports Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Martin Scorsese among its executive producers – and more than that, Robbie Robertson is a local hero of sorts, born and bred in Toronto before he headed to the U.S. to become an unlikely rock star.
Besides, Tiff has always had a tricky time with its opening films, most of which go on to achieve no particular success. Over the last 10 years, the slot has gone...
But “Once Were Brothers” sports Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Martin Scorsese among its executive producers – and more than that, Robbie Robertson is a local hero of sorts, born and bred in Toronto before he headed to the U.S. to become an unlikely rock star.
Besides, Tiff has always had a tricky time with its opening films, most of which go on to achieve no particular success. Over the last 10 years, the slot has gone...
- 9/5/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Forty-one years after the theatrical release of “The Last Waltz,” Robbie Robertson gets the last word on that era in “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band,” a documentary picked by the Toronto Int’l Film Festival as its opening night gala premiere. It covers Robertson’s tenure in the Band from the group’s early ’60s origins through that final concert in 1976, famously documented by Martin Scorsese (who serves as an executive producer here). To the survivor as well as the raconteur go the spoils, and Robertson is nothing if not both those things.
“Once Were Brothers” is essentially a movie adaptation of Robertson’s 2016 autobiography, “Testimony: A Memoir.” Just as the book ended with the tale of “The Last Waltz” (he’s working on a sequel now), so the film takes its leave there, too, although “Brothers” does include something he was presumably saving for the second...
“Once Were Brothers” is essentially a movie adaptation of Robertson’s 2016 autobiography, “Testimony: A Memoir.” Just as the book ended with the tale of “The Last Waltz” (he’s working on a sequel now), so the film takes its leave there, too, although “Brothers” does include something he was presumably saving for the second...
- 9/5/2019
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Robbie Robertson has surely told all these stories before, firing off well-worn chestnuts and crystal-clear recollections with a lived-in charm throughout Daniel Roher’s “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band.” And why shouldn’t the Canadian native have plenty of stories to tell? After all, he was on the forefront of, as best he can tell, three different musical revolutions, nearly all of them involving the “brothers” of the groundbreaking Americana rockers The Band. But if Robertson looks relaxed and practiced during his numerous talking head appearances in Roher’s latest documentary, it’s easy to understand why: there’s no one left to dispute his recollection of decades of work and relationships.
He can keep telling the stories because he’s the only one left to tell them.
Of the five original members of The Band, three are dead, including Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel.
He can keep telling the stories because he’s the only one left to tell them.
Of the five original members of The Band, three are dead, including Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel.
- 9/5/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Magnolia Pictures has picked up world rights to Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, the opening night film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Directed by Daniel Roher and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the documentary tells the story of a group of musicians — Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson — that went from backing Bob Dylan to becoming one of the most influential bands of its era. Magnolia is planning a theatrical release for early next year.
"Being a long time fan of The Band, Once ...
Directed by Daniel Roher and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the documentary tells the story of a group of musicians — Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson — that went from backing Bob Dylan to becoming one of the most influential bands of its era. Magnolia is planning a theatrical release for early next year.
"Being a long time fan of The Band, Once ...
Magnolia Pictures has picked up world rights to Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, the opening night film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Directed by Daniel Roher and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the documentary tells the story of a group of musicians — Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson — that went from backing Bob Dylan to becoming one of the most influential bands of its era. Magnolia is planning a theatrical release for early next year.
"Being a long time fan of The Band, Once ...
Directed by Daniel Roher and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the documentary tells the story of a group of musicians — Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson — that went from backing Bob Dylan to becoming one of the most influential bands of its era. Magnolia is planning a theatrical release for early next year.
"Being a long time fan of The Band, Once ...
I wasn’t scheduled to perform, but I was there from the beginning. There was a casualness about the format there that has never existed again. I just showed up backstage and asked Chip Monck [the stage manager and announcer] if I could help. He said, “Sure, millions of people are coming, and we’re not prepared. We don’t have much of a staff, and everything is sort of improvised.”
I’d just been living in a Volkswagen-bus tent in a muddy little culvert in L.A., so I told Chip, “I know...
I’d just been living in a Volkswagen-bus tent in a muddy little culvert in L.A., so I told Chip, “I know...
- 8/7/2019
- by John Sebastian
- Rollingstone.com
On May 16th, 1974, Ry Cooder and Leon Redbone wrapped up a gig at New York City’s Bottom Line, but the crowd was told to stick around for a surprise. It was 2:15 a.m., and a man with a guitar appeared onstage. “This one is called, um … this one’s called, um … ‘Citizen Kane Junior Blues!'” said Neil Young, strumming the intro to “Pushed It Over the End.”
It was the public’s first glimpse of his deeply new personal album On the Beach, released 45 years ago, on July 19th,...
It was the public’s first glimpse of his deeply new personal album On the Beach, released 45 years ago, on July 19th,...
- 7/19/2019
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Tony Sokol Jul 18, 2019
The Documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
"Everyone has a song," Robbie Robertson sang in "Making a Noise," about his Mohawk roots. "That's how we know who we are." The guitarist will reacquaint audiences with his legendary group The Band in the documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, which opens this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, according to Variety.
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, directed by Daniel Roher (Ghosts of Our Forest), was inspired by Robertson’s 2016 memoir Testimony. The film tells the history of The Band from when Robertson, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Levon Helm put together a group which would back Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan and go on to become one of the most influential groups in rock history.
The documentary features archival footage...
The Documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
"Everyone has a song," Robbie Robertson sang in "Making a Noise," about his Mohawk roots. "That's how we know who we are." The guitarist will reacquaint audiences with his legendary group The Band in the documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, which opens this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, according to Variety.
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, directed by Daniel Roher (Ghosts of Our Forest), was inspired by Robertson’s 2016 memoir Testimony. The film tells the history of The Band from when Robertson, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Levon Helm put together a group which would back Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan and go on to become one of the most influential groups in rock history.
The documentary features archival footage...
- 7/18/2019
- Den of Geek
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