FULLER UP HOME GRIM REAPER PAGE CAUSES OF DEATH SEARCH BY NAME GET IN TOUCH SHAMEFUL DISCLAIMER    Fuller Up The Dead Musician Directory    Rick Danko Rick Danko December 10, 1999 Age 56   Cause unknown as yet    OBITUARY  BIOGRAPHY   LINKS        More information RD page 2

OBITUARY 

Band Website    In memory of Rick Danko                    Lead singer. Instrument: Bass, violin, guitar.                  Dec. 29 1942 - Dec. 10 1999. The music will live forever.                                      by Carol Caffin                  Copyright © Carol Caffin, CRW Music. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted without permission.                   Since 1965, when he and his cohorts in The Band (then called the Hawks) conspired with Bob Dylan to                  “go electric,” Rick Danko has been an integral part of the popular music landscape. As lead singer, bass                  and acoustic guitar player for The Band, and as a solo artist, his contributions have been substantial.                   Hailing from the tiny rural town of Simcoe, Ontario, Rick was born into a musical family. Both of his                  parents and his three brothers played and/or sang, and music was a way of life for him from the beginning.                  He listened to Hank Williams and Sam Cooke as a small child, and was “ready to go to Nashville” by the                  age of seven. With his oldest brother, Maurice (“Juinor”), Rick sang and performed at family get-togethers                  and made his public debut on four-string tenor banjo before an audience of his first-grade classmates.                   Rick quit school at 14 to purse music full-time and in 1960, when he was 17, he joined rockabilly singer                  Ronnie Hawkins’ group, the Hawks, initially as rhythm guitarist. He soon moved to bass, learning his                  instrument “one string at a time”, and, with the help of the Hawks’ boogie-woogie piano player (and later,                  piano player for the late 1980s incarnation of The Band) Stan Szelest, whose left-hand techniques he                  memorized and adapted to his bass playing, began developing his trademark percussive but sliding style.                   Under Ronnie Hawkins’ tutelage, Rick began a three-year tenure of non-stop gigging and rigorous                  rehearsals that fellow Band-mate Richard Manuel once likened to “boot camp.” By the time he was 20,                  he was a seasoned pro, having spent most of his teenage years “playing in bars that you were supposed to                  be 21 to play in.”                   By the early 60s, Rick and the other Hawks had outgrown the limited roadhouse and honky-tonk circuit                  and left Hawkins to pursue greener pastures. Bob Dylan saw them perform in the mid-60s and was so                  impressed that he signed the Hawks to accompany him on his 1965-66 world tour. The Band’s                  collaboration with Dylan, initially greeted with boos and catcalls around the globe, changed the course of                  popular music by spawning one of the most significant musical hybrids of the rock era, “Folk Rock.”                   Rick’s penchant for musical hybrids began germinating, literally, in his own backyard in Simcoe, a town                  heavily populated with displaced Southern tobacco farmers. The interesting mix of Northern and Southern                  cultures there was later reflected in his music and is partly responsible for the occasional Southern                  inflection that colors some of his words.                   After the tumultuous world tours with Dylan (the European leg of which was documented in the obscure                  film, Eat the Document), Rick moved from Manhattan to upstate New York, along with Dylan and the                  other members of the still un-named Band. He rented a big pink house in West Saugerties, near                  Woodstock, and with Dylan and The Band began recording songs which soon surfaced on bootlegs and                  were officially released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes. In 1968, after toying with a host of politically                  incorrect names, like the Crackers and the Honkies, The Band made its official debut with the release of                  its seminal and eclectic album, Music From Big Pink, which became the fulcrum for the country rock and                  roots rock of the coming decades. The music of The Band was at once traditional and contemporary, and                  the combination made it timeless. In the eye of the psychadelic hurricane, The Band virtually pioneered the                  use of traditional instruments like mandolins, accordions, and fiddles in rock and roll, and Rick Danko was                  one of the first non-rockabilly player to use standup acoustic bass on a rock record In the midst of                  political unrest and the peace movement, The Band’s lyrics celebrated real life -- beauty, tranquility,                  nature, good sex, good friends, small town America, Southern Culture -- a series of themes whos                  influences would be felt in another musical hybrid, Americana, 25 years later.                   Big Pink catapulted The Band, if not to commercial superstardom, to the upper echelon of rock music.                  Many brows were furrowed, but accolades abounded, and even Eric Clapton cited them as a major                  influence and the impetus for leaving the electric power trio Cream behind to go solo.                   A succession of albums and tours followed, and, The Band, now a firm fixture in the rock aristocracy,                  played virtually every major festival from Woodstock to Watkins Glen. In 1976, on Thanksgiving day,                  The Band officially called it quits with a farewell concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. The                  concert, which featured an unprecedented all-star lineup to which The Band graciously played back-up,                  was documented in Martin Scorsese’s much lauded film, The Last Waltz, regarded by many as the finest                  concert film of all time.                   After The Last Waltz, Rick, who needed music as much as it needed him, continued to perform and                  record. His 1978 debut solo album, a self-titled gem which was initially overshadowed by the grandeur of                  The Last Waltz, but has since garnered both critical and popular acclaim, marked the beginning of a very                  important phase for Rick.                   His transition from ensemble player to frontman seemed an easy one. Rick Danko (Arista) was no Band                  album in disguise. On the contrary, it showcased his individuality -- his wonderful harmonies, his mature                  and sensitive songwriting, his sense of humor (evidenced on the tongue-in-cheek “Java Blues”), his “less is                  more” approach to playing and arranging, his affinityi for odd collaborations (the pairing of Eric Clapton’s                  electric rock guitar with Band mate Garth Hudson’s ethereal country accordion on the Danko-penned                  “New Mexico”), and the strongest vocal work of his career.                   During the early 1980s, Rick maintained a low profile, and in 1983, reunited with The Band (minus                  Robbie Robertson, who pursued a solo career). During that period, he began playing acoustic guitar as                  well as bass on-stage, and his unique style of tuning and playing (revealing the bass player in his soul), has                  become another of his signature sounds. Throughout the 80s, never one to “sit at home”, Rick continued                  to play solo, with The Band, in pairings with Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, Paul Butterfield, Jorma                  Kaukonen and others. In 1985, he appeared (with Manuel, Helm and Hudson) in a feature film, Man                  Outside, and in 1987 he released an instructional video, Rick Danko’s Electric Bass Techniques                  (Homespun).                   The last several years arguably have ben Rick’s most productive. In 1989, he and Band dummer/vocalist                  Levon Helm toured as part of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band (Rick’s rendition of Buddy Holly’s “Raining In                  My Heart,” which appeared on the live album Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band (Rykodisc) and                  features Clarence Clemons on sax, has become a highlight of his live solo shows). That same year, The                  Band was inducted at Canada’s Juno Awards into the Hall of Fame of the Canadian Academy of                  Recording Arts and Sciences. In 1990, Rick, along with Helm, Hudoson, Sinead O’Connor, Van                  Morrison and others, appeared in Roger Waters’ The Wall concert in Berlin. In October, 1992 Rick                  performed with The Band at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary tribute at Madison Square Garden and, in                  January 1994, he and The Band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The induction speech                  was made by long-time friend and fan, Eric Clapton.                   In 1991, Rick began working on a project that woul;d become near and dear to his heart, a collaboration                  wiht Folk legend Eric Andersen and Norwegian singer/songwriter Jonas Fjeld. The almost immediate                  result of the trio’s collaboration was an award-winning album, Danko Fjeld Andersen (Stageway), which                  was honored in Norway with a Spellemans Pris (the Norwegian Grammy) for Record of the Year and                  was released in late 1993 by Rykodisc. The Rykodisc release was honored by NAIRO the following                  year. Danko Fjeld Andersen, which contains some of Rick’s finest work to date, received a four-star                  review in Rolling Stone.                   1993 proved to be a banner year for Rick. In addition to the “Trio Album,” Rick and The Band recorded                  their first studio album in 17 years, the acclaimed Jericho (Pyramid), which featured a rootsy rendition of                  Bruce Springstein’s “Atlantic City,” and several original compositions. In early 1996, The Band came                  back strong with High On The Hog (Pyramid), followed by Jubilation in 1998.                   In February, 1997, Rykodisc released Ridin’ On The Blinds, the follow-up to Danko Fjeld Andersen,                  which was recorded in Norway in 1994. Rick will tour the US with his trio mates in support of the record.                  With so many irons in the fire, it’s too early to say that Rick Danko has come full circle. But certainly, he                  has come into his own. And, after all, as Rick himself admits, he’s not trying to change the world -- he just                  wants “to help the neighborhood.”                  [The Rick Danko bio is written by Carol Caffin. Copyright © Carol Caffin, CRW Music. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted without permission.]             The Band's Rick Danko Dead At Fifty-Six  Rick Danko, bassist for the Band and solo artist,  found dead morning after his birthday                              Founding member of the Band,                               solo artist and Rock & Roll Hall of                               Famer Rick Danko passed away                               Friday morning in his Woodstock,                               N.Y., home. His wife, Elizabeth,                               found him in his bed, where he'd                               apparently died peacefully in his                               sleep -- one day after his fifty-sixth                               birthday.                               Although no cause of death was                               known by Friday afternoon,                               Danko's publicist, Carol Caffin, said that she spoke                               to him Thursday and that he had been in good                               spirits.                               "I just spoke to him yesterday, and he was in a                               great mood," said Caffin. "I told him I had some                               interviews lined up, and he said, 'Sure, we'll do them                               tomorrow afternoon.' And then I hear this morning.                               We all love him very much -- he was a great,                               wonderful person."                               Caffin said Danko had just returned from a short                               tour, including stops in Chicago and Ann Arbor,                               Mich. He had also just taped a performance for                               Acoustic Café. In August, he performed with fellow                               Band member Garth Hudson at the "Day in the                               Garden" festival at Max Yasgur's farm, the site of                               the original Woodstock, at which the Band                               performed in 1969.                                Danko's last solo album, Live on Breeze Hill, was                               released in September. The mostly live album                               featured one studio track, "Sip the Wine," which                               was recorded twenty years ago. A portion of the                               proceeds from the album were earmarked to benefit                               Greenpeace. Danko hadn't released a solo album                               since his 1977 self-titled solo debut, though he                               recorded two albums in the Nineties with                               singer/songwriters Eric Anderson and Jonas Fjeld:                               1993's Danko/Anderson/Fjeld and 1997's Riding on                               the Blinds. He also joined fellow Band members                               Hudson and Levon Helm for the group's recent                               comeback albums Jericho (1993), High on the Hog                               (1996) and last year's Jubilation. (Original guitarist                               Robbie Robertson chose not to participate in the                               reunion records; pianist Richard Manuel committed                               suicide after a show in 1986.)                                Danko was a key member of the Band from the very                               beginning, when the group backed Ronnie Hawkins                               as the Hawks. His signature falsetto was a hallmark                               of the Band's vocal sound. His songwriting credits                               included the enduring "This Wheel's on Fire," which                               he co-wrote with Bob Dylan. The song appeared on                               Dylan's famous collaboration with the Band, The                               Basement Tapes.                               "He was one of the most distinctive voices in one of                               the most distinctive sounding groups in rock & roll,"                               commented longtime friend Richard Fusco, chief                               creative officer of the online radio station                               RadioWoodstock. "He stayed here in Woodstock --                               he made this his home, and was one of the true                               landmark people in town. He was the type of guy                               that would always go out of his way to help                               somebody; if there was ever a benefit in town to help                               somebody locally, he was always there playing. He                               was a real giving person, besides being an incredible                               talent and a real fun guy to be with."                               John Simon, who produced the Band's Music From                               the Big Pink, The Band and The Last Waltz, said                               he will best remember Danko for his positive                               attitude.                               "Rick was always a very positive, uplifting and                               uplifted guy," Simon said. "He would always be the                               first guy there for rehearsals and recordings                               sessions. He was always very encouraging to other                               musicians; when other people in the world might not                               give somebody the time of day, Rick would be very                               patient, encouraging and loving to those people. He                               had a great sense of humor, and he was a natural                               musician.                                "When he first started out as a teenager, up in                               Ontario, he used to be a one-man band leader,"                               continued Simon. "He'd go into a town and put up                               posters saying 'dance coming up,' and then put a                               band together for the dance and put the money in a                               cigar box. All the guys in The Band were natural                               musicians -- and this was before it was popular and                               cool to be a musician. After the Beatles, everybody                               wanted to be a musician, whether they had a natural                               calling for it or not, but prior to that time, it was not                               so glamorous. You only did when you had nothing                               else to do or when you were really good at it, and he                               was one of those guys who was really good at it.                               That's why the Band was so phenomenal -- every                               one of them were really good musicians; there                               weren't any slackers in that group."                                In 1997, Danko was found guilty of colluding to                               smuggle heroin into Japan. He told the judge that he                               used the drug -- along with prescription morphine --                               to help fight persistent pain from a 1968 automobile                               accident. When asked about Danko's history with                               the drug in relationship to his death, however, Fusco                               said that the musician had appeared to be in robust                               health.                               "He'd gained a little wait, but he didn't seem                               unhealthy," said Fusco. "You can tell a junkie when                               you see a junkie, and he was nothing like that at all.                               He seemed strong."                               "We were looking forward to doing lots of live                               performances with him here from our studio," Fusco                               said sadly. "God bless him, we won't be doing that."                               RICHARD SKANSE/Rolling Stone                               (December 10, 1999)

 

 

BIOGRAPHY

CANOE/Pop Encyclopedia                                Hailing from the tiny rural town of Simcoe, Ontario, Danko                                was born into a musical family. Both of his parents and his                                three brothers played and/or sang, and music was a way of                                life for him from the beginning. He listened to Hank Williams                                and Sam Cooke as a small child, and was ready to go to                                Nashville by the age of seven. With his oldest brother,                                Maurice (Juinor), Rick sang and performed at family                                get-togethers and made his public debut on four-string tenor                                banjo before an audience of his first-grade classmates.                                 He quit school at 14 to purse music full-time and in 1960,                                when he was 17, he joined rockabilly singer Ronnie                                Hawkins' group, the Hawks, initially as rhythm guitarist. He                                soon moved to bass and, with the help of the Hawks' piano                                player Stan Szelest.                                 Under Ronnie Hawkins' tutelage, Danko began a three-year                                tenure of non-stop gigging and rigorous rehearsals that fellow                                Band-mate Richard Manuel once likened to 'boot camp.' By                                the time he was 20, he was a seasoned pro, having spent                                most of his teenage years playing in bars that you were                                supposed to be 21 to play in.                                 By the early 60s, Rick and the other Hawks had outgrown                                the limited roadhouse and honky-tonk circuit and left                                Hawkins to pursue greener pastures. Bob Dylan saw them                                perform in the mid-60s and was so impressed that he signed                                the Hawks to accompany him on his 1965-66 world tour.                                The Band's collaboration with Dylan, initially greeted with                                boos and catcalls around the globe, changed the course of                                popular music by spawning one of the most significant                                musical hybrids of the rock era, 'Folk Rock.'                                 After the tumultuous world tours with Dylan (the European                                leg of which was documented in the obscure film, Eat the                                Document), Danko relocated from Manhattan to upstate                                New York, along with Dylan and the other members of the                                still un-named Band. He rented a big pink house in West                                Saugerties, near Woodstock, and with Dylan and The Band                                began recording songs which soon surfaced on bootlegs and                                were officially released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes. In                                1968, after toying with a host of politically incorrect names,                                like the Crackers and the Honkies, The Band made its                                official debut with 'Music From Big Pink'.                                 The album shot The Band into folklore. A succession of                                albums and tours followed, and, The Band, now a firm                                fixture in the rock aristocracy, played virtually every major                                festival from Woodstock to Watkins Glen. In 1976, on                                Thanksgiving day, The Band officially called it quits with a                                farewell concert at San FranciscoDs Winterland Ballroom.                                The concert, which featured an unprecedented all-star lineup                                to which The Band graciously played back-up, was                                documented in Martin ScorseseDs much lauded film, The                                Last Waltz, regarded by many as the finest concert film of                                all time.                                 Following 'The Last Waltz', Danko continued to perform                                and record as a solo artist. His 1978 self-titled debut, though                                overshadowed at first by The Band, later gained critical and                                popular acclaim.                                 During the early 1980s, he maintained a low profile, and in                                1983, reunited with The Band (minus Robbie Robertson,                                who pursued a solo career). During that period, he began                                playing acoustic guitar as well as bass on-stage, and his                                unique style of tuning and playing (revealing the bass player                                in his soul), has become another of his signature sounds.                                Throughout the 80s, never one to 'sit at home', Rick                                continued to play solo, with The Band, in pairings with                                Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, Paul Butterfield, Jorma                                Kaukonen and others. In 1985, he appeared (with Manuel,                                Helm and Hudson) in a feature film, Man Outside, and in                                1987 he released an instructional video, 'Rick Danko's                                Electric Bass Techniques' (Homespun).                                 In 1989, he and Band drummer/vocalist Levon Helm toured                                as part of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band. That same year, The                                Band was inducted into the Canadian Academy of Recording                                Arts and Sciences Hall Of Fame. In 1990, Danko, along with                                Helm, Hudson, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison and others,                                appeared in Roger Waters' 'The Wall' concert in Berlin.                                 Danko recorded with Folk legend Eric Andersen and                                Norwegian singer/songwriter Jonas Fjeld in 1991 and one                                sidebar of the trio's collaboration was an award-winning                                album, Danko Fjeld Andersen (Stageway), which was                                honored in Norway with a Spellemans Pris (the Norwegian                                Grammy) for 'Record of the Year' and was released in late                                1993 by Rykodisc. The Rykodisc release was honored by                                NAIRO the following year.                                 In October, 1992 he performed with The Band at the Bob                                Dylan 30th Anniversary tribute at Madison Square Garden                                and, in January 1994, he and The Band were inducted into                                the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Eric Clapton.                                 1993 saw The Band record their first studio album in 17                                years, 'Jericho', which featured a radically extended line-up                                of members including Richard Bell. They followed this up                                with another album, 'High On The Hog', in 1996.                                 In February, 1997, Rykodisc released 'Ridin' On The                                Blinds', the follow-up to Danko Fjeld Andersen, which was                                recorded in Norway in 1994.                                 Danko passed away in his upstate New York home on                                Friday, December 10, 1999.                                 With notes from Jan Høiberg and Rob Bowman   Band Website  The Band's Rick Danko Revs Up Legendary Career                   by Matthew Lewis                  From Variety, March 1997.                   HARTFORD, Conn. (Reuter) - It's been nearly 30 years since the Band helped define American rock music, but singer and bassist Rick Danko feels he's just getting warmed up.                    After a long layoff from making records in the 1980s and early '90s, Canadian Danko is brimming over with recording and concert projects.                    "I love to play; a stage is a safe place for me to be," Danko told Reuters in an interview. "It's not that way for most folks, but I'd be lost without it."                    Still one of rock's great voices at age 53, Danko is more visible these days than at any time since The Last Waltz, director Martin Scorsese's celebrated documentary of the Band's star-studded 1976 "farewell" concert.                    One of Danko's side projects, the critically acclaimed trio Danko/Fjeld/Andersen, in February released its second album, Ridin' on the Blinds, on the Rykodisc label.                    The project reunited Danko with his friends Jonas Fjeld, one of Norway's biggest stars, and Eric Andersen, the respected songwriter who sprang from the 1960s New York folk scene.                    The new album is an intoxicating blend of American roots music seasoned with exotic, centuries-old Norwegian folk instruments. One highlight is Danko's poignant, acoustic rendition of "Twilight," an obscure 1975 Band song.                    In addition, the Band will soon start work on its next album, targetted for release in early 1998. The legendary group, which reunited without Richard Manuel, who committed suicide in 1986, and key songwriter Robbie Robertson, has released two albums in the last three years.                    The group plans a 35-concert U.S. tour this summer.                    Then there is Danko's revved-up solo career. He will tour Japan in April and May, and is planning a live album that would serve as the long-awaited followup to his 1978 solo album, which featured Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones' Ron Wood.                    Danko, who lives in Woodstock, N.Y., also says he'd like to make a "rock 'n' roll duo" album with Rolling Stones great Keith Richards, but no plans have been set yet.                    Asked about the flurry of activity, Danko said, "I get bored pretty easy, but I'm lucky to have a lot of musical friends that help me take care of those moments."                    A recent solo concert in tiny Foxboro, Mass., captured Danko in fine voice. Expertly backed by drummer Randy Ciarlante and pianist/accordionist Aaron Hurwitz, Danko romped through old classics like "Stage Fright" and "Mystery Train," and a funked-up "Chest Fever" from the Band's famous debut album.                    Originally formed in 1960 as the backing group for Arkansas rockabilly wild man Ronnie Hawkins, the Band combined good-time rock 'n' roll with American folk traditions like no group before or since. The group's first two albums, Music From Big Pink (1968) and The Band (1969), still rate highly on many critics' all-time "best" lists.                    At the heart of the Band's distinctive sound was the deeply soulful singing of Danko, drummer Levon Helm and Manuel.                    "Rick's voice is incredibly unique," said Hurwitz, who is also the Band's co-producer. "It's a gutsy sound,  t's haunting, and it really appeals to people."                    Asked about his vocal influences, Danko lists Hank Williams, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, and Muddy Waters, among many others.                    Danko's heartfelt style was developed the hard way. He quit school in Simcoe, Ontario, at age 14 and went to work as an apprentice meatcutter. He was still a teenager when he ran away to join Hawkins's rockabilly roustabouts.                    Never a prolific songwriter, Danko has co-written some gems over the years. "This Wheel's on Fire," which he wrote with Bob Dylan in 1967, has rolled in its share of royalties -- most recently as the theme music for the British TV series "Absolutely Fabulous."                    Danko said there are many old Band songs on which he and the others should have been credited as co-writers, instead of being credited solely to Robbie Robertson.                    Robertson wrote the group's best-known songs, including "The Weight," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Up on Cripple Creek."                    "He'll say he did it all, if you give him the opportunity," Danko said of Robertson. Danko said he empathizes with Mike Love, the Beach Boy who sued bandmate Brian Wilson for withholding songwriting credits on many well-known songs. "Maybe I'll have to end up hiring his lawyer," he laughed.                    The surviving original Band members have turned down offers in the millions of dollars to reunite, Danko said. "Money isn't the object anymore. We're not looking for a job."                    He strongly disagrees with some critics who have carped that the Band without Robertson is like "Hamlet" without the prince. "Robbie chose to do what he chose to do, and more power to him. I think he's regretted some of those movements, but that's not my problem."                    Robertson has released three solo albums as well as some movie soundtracks for Scorsese since leaving the Band.                    Danko feels that the "new" Band -- with original members Danko, Helm and Garth Hudson augmented by Ciarlante, Jim Weider and Richard Bell -- is every bit as valid as the "old" Band. "I appreciate the chemistry of the Band over the years and everybody's contribution," he said. "I would like to see that continue for just as long as we can breathe good air."                      Copied from an article posted in the newsgroup rec.music.dylan by Mike Fink.

 

 LINKS

The Band Official Site  Rick Page  Articles listed of Band Members  Danko Photo links  Japan Drug Bust  "More Info" FUDMD Page  Remembering The Band's Rick Danko              Danko           The Band