Rick Danko
The Backbone
The most effervescent and affable member of The Band, and possessor of perhaps the most inimitable voice, Rick Danko's plucky personality - and playing - kept The Band together. In addition to his prodigious and diverse artistic talents, Danko’s vibe, good looks, and magnetism fueled the party atmosphere - on and off-stage. Paired with either Levon’s or Manuel’s drumming, Danko created The Band's much-envied rhythm section that defied genre and comparison. In a group full of distinct personalities, Danko's was perhaps the most elusively distinctive, as he was both debonair and droll, frontman and sideman, and, above all, rock 'n' roll.
I love to play; a stage is a safe place for me to be. It's not that way for most folks, but I'd be lost without it.
"Don't Do It" - 1971
Rick's bassline on this Holland-Dozier-Holland cover started the "The Last Waltz" film, but actually served as the encore of the actual show. This is the arguably superior version, taken from their live show at The Academy of Music, which became the "Rock of Ages" album.
The Members
