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ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE - THE STORY OF THE BAND
Sat 18th July, 21.00 - 22.00
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| The programmes will be available to hear for seven days after transmission. |
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George Harrison once proclaimed them the best band in the history of the universe. Certainly, few bands have had such a significant impact on the course of popular music as The Band.
Initially cutting their teeth backing rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins as The Hawks, the band gained notoriety of sorts when they were picked by Bob Dylan to be his backing band on the his infamous 1965 electric tour. Greeted by howls of protest and shouts of "Judas!" from folk purists, the shows launched Dylan (and rock) into a new era.
However, a 1967 motorcycle crash forced Dylan to retreat from the limelight, and the band followed him to rural Woodstock. Setting up their instruments in the basement of a house nicknamed Big Pink, they set about forging their own identity and musical style. Because they were the only musicians around, locals simply referred to them as the band. The name stuck and they became The Band.
Their debut album, Music From Big Pink, arrived in 1968, and had an immediate effect. While acid rock and psychedelia were reaching new heights of excess, The Band looked back to older traditions of folk, blues, country, gospel and r'n'b. On the cover photos they looked like men out of time, relics of a mythical American past.
Big Pink had a galvanising effect on many musicians, not least Eric Clapton, who promptly decided to leave Cream in search of "good funky songs" like the Band's. The Band's eponymous second album would put the seal on their reputation, and for the next six years they became established as one of the era's biggest groups.
By the mid 70s, however, they had effectively reached the end of the road. A farewell concert was held at San Francisco's Winterland ballroom in 1976. The list of guest stars read like a who's who of the 70s rock aristocracy. Apart from fellow Canadians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, they were joined by their mentor Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Dr John. Filmed by Martin Scorcese and released as The Last Waltz, it remains one of the finest concert movies ever made.
The band would reform, although the refusal of Robbie Robertson to participate in the reunions meant they would never approach the heights of their classic material. Tragedy struck when piano player Richard Manuel hanged himself in 1986, and more recently bassist Rick Danko died from liver failure.
However, The Band's contribution to musical history was confirmed years before. This documentary traces their history and examines their remarkable legacy, with contributions from band members, admirers and fellow musicians, as well as many of their greatest songs.
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