Rick Danko

Richard Clare "Rick" Danko (December 29 1942, - December 10, 1999) was musician and singer from Simcoe, Ontario, probably best known as a member of The Band. At the age of 14 (1956) Danko booked himself as an opening act for Ronnie Hawkins, & his band The Hawks. Hawkins asked Danko to join his band as a rythym guitarist, though later he would have Danko learn the bass, and by 1960 was Hawkins' bassist. Around 1963 The Hawks would fall apart and the remnants of the members (including Danko) would go on to continue as the Levon Helm Sextet (later renamed to The Canadian Squires and Levon And The Hawks). in 1965 Bob Dylan made Levon and the Hawks his backing group. in '68 Danko and The Hawks release their first demo, allowing them to secure a record deal with Capitol Records. Working over the next few months, the five-piece churned out what would become their debut album, Music From Big Pink. It would be this time that they would change their name once again from The Hawks to The Band, which is the band Danko is most commonly known for. Shortly after the album was released, Danko was injured in a car crash, breaking his neck and back in nine places. His Career went on with The Band though, and would for 8 years (68-76). Danko would go on to release solo work on Arista Records, releasing his first solo work in 1977 (his self-titled debut). In the early 1990s, Danko teamed with Jonas Fjeld and Eric Andersen and three albums were released, Danko/Fjeld/Andersen in 1991, Ridin' on the Blinds in 1994, and One More Shot in 2001. Danko his next solo work would not be released until 97 (Rick Danko in Concert). In 1999 he would release Live on Breeze Hill, and was already working on material for his next work called Times Like These. However on December 10 1999 Danko's heart would give out on him, causing him to pass away in his sleep.