Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Van Morrison all showed up. The friction led to their final concert together, on Thanksgiving Day 1976, at San Francisco's Winterland. But by the mid-seventies, drug problems were taking their toll on the group. They played at Woodstock, and for eight years were one of rock's most influential groups. We're making music that nobody is supposed to ever hear.'ĭrawing from folk, blues, gospel and country, The Band's groundbreaking debut album, 'Music From Big Pink,' was released in 1968. 'And it was like Valhalla,' Robertson told 'Sunday Morning' correspondent Anthony Mason in 2016. And when Dylan retreated to Woodstock, N.Y., in 1967, The Band rented a small house in nearby West Saugerties and turned its basement into a studio.

In New York, they became Bob Dylan's backing musicians for his new tour. Originally called Levon and The Hawks, they would eventually become known as, simply, The Band. The two clicked right away, and after Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko also joined the group, they split off from Hawkins to form their own band.

He joined Arkansas rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins' band, where he met a young drummer, Levon Helm. Raised in Toronto, Robertson (half-Mohawk, half-Jewish) started playing guitar at age 10, and by 16 was on the road full-time. His most famous songs include 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' and 'The Weight.' Robbie Robertson (July 5, 1943-August 9, 2023), for many years the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan and the principal songwriter for The Band, was part of a revolution in music.

The Associated Press contributed to this gallery. | Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns via Getty ImagesĪ look back at the esteemed personalities who left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.īy senior producer David Morgan. Robbie Robertson, of The Band, performing in Rotterdam in 1971.

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