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43-634: The house is located at 56 Parnassus Lane (formerly 2188 Stoll Road). The house was built by Ottmar Gramms, who bought the land in 1952. The house was newly built when Rick Danko , then part of Bob Dylan 's backing band, found it as a rental in 1967, after the cancellation of Dylan's tour due to his 1966 motorcycle crash. Dylan was living at the time in nearby Woodstock . Danko moved into the house along with bandmates Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel in February 1967. The house became known locally as "Big Pink" for its pink siding. In early 1967, Bob Dylan and

86-628: A band without a frontman, as a team of equal members. Danko and the former Hawks initially performed as the Levon Helm Sextet with saxophonist Jerry Penfound. After Penfound left, they changed their name to The Canadian Squires, and finally to Levon and the Hawks. Playing a circuit that stretched geographically from Ontario to Arkansas , they became known as "the best damn bar band in the land." In August 1965, Mary Martin, an assistant to Bob Dylan 's manager Albert Grossman, heard Levon and

129-599: A blonde one and also a sunburst, which was featured in The Last Waltz . Throughout the 1990s, Danko played a custom-built hollow-body electric bass by luthier Mark Dan, with Alembic pickups, which he referred to as "One of the greatest basses that I've ever had". His other main bass throughout the 1990s was a red electric hollowbody bass from the Norwegian Workshop Guitar Company with two types of Alembic Pickups. His amp of choice

172-489: A five-year music veteran and having already left the Simcoe Composite School and working by day as a butcher, Danko booked his band The Starlights as the opening act for Ronnie Hawkins . Hawkins invited Danko to join the Hawks as rhythm guitarist. Around this time, Hawks bassist Rebel Paine was fired by Hawkins, who, wasting no time, ordered Danko to learn to play the bass with help from other members in

215-543: A lead singer and demonstrated his naturally plaintive voice. Danko is featured in the documentary film Festival Express , about an all-star tour by train across Canada in 1970. On the train, he sings an impromptu version of "Ain't No More Cane" with Jerry Garcia and Janis Joplin . In an interview published in Guitar Player , Danko cited bassists James Jamerson , Ron Carter , Edgar Willis , and Chuck Rainey as his musical influences. He eventually moved from

258-521: A musician and founding member of The Band , has a historical plaque dedicated to him near his childhood home. He performed on a 4-string tenor banjo shortly after entering grade 1. As a child, Danko was hyperactive , but was diagnosed in an era before Ritalin became mainstream. The winter of 1975 was the only unusually mild winter in the region from 1897 to 1977. From the late 1990s onwards, winters became more mild due to changes in climate brought on by global warming. Blayney traditionally belongs to

301-454: A musician. He made his musical debut playing a four-string tenor banjo for his first-grade classmates, and while various sources differ slightly, all suggest he was headed to a professional career early. One report has him forming his first "Rick Danko Band" at age 12 or 13, another reference mentions that by age 14 he was putting on country & western shows with his brothers, Maurice Jr., Dennis and Terry, using various group names. It

344-519: A tremendous influence on me ... you have to be a great musician before you can sing like that." Danko used various basses throughout his career. He played a mid-sixties sunburst Fender Jazz Bass on the 1966 World Tour with Bob Dylan , and on the recording of Music from Big Pink and The Band , as well as early live shows by the Band, including Woodstock and the Isle of Wight Festival . In late 1969,

387-453: Is also written that he started a band at that age with his eldest brother, Maurice Junior and a local high school teacher on drums. This trio performed country music and R & B at local dance halls, sometimes rented themselves, weddings, and other events. The group, "The Starlights", expanded to included accordion, second guitar and "a girl singer", expanded their repertoire to include polkas for newer European immigrants. By age 17, already

430-411: Is considered to be one of Norfolk County's lost hamlets. It once hosted its own post office and general store before they were burnt down sometime after 1920. There was a Blayney post office and a grocery store in the early 1900s. The post office burnt to the ground and the grocery store was in the area where Rick Danko was raised. There is no commerce and agriculture is the main industry. The hamlet

473-670: Is formed on the crossroads of Yuell Road and Regional Road 1 (known locally as McDowell Road). On Yuell Road South, there is a house that is almost completely underground. To the northwest is Delhi and to the southeast is Walsh . The nearest gas station is in Pine Grove. Groceries, toiletries, and clothing are purchased from either Simcoe, Delhi, or Tillsonburg. Students go to Walsh Public School for their elementary/junior high education and either Delhi District Secondary School , Valley Heights Secondary School , or Simcoe Composite School for their high school education. Rick Danko ,

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516-595: Is in between Pine Grove and Green's Corners. Blayney's earliest known inhabitants, from around the year 1000 until approximately 300–350 years later, were the Algonquin nation. They were noted flint-workers and evidence of their skill in crafting arrowheads is still to be found in open worked field areas surrounding the village. The next wave of inhabitants were the Attawandaron nation, the Neutrals, who occupied

559-653: The Fender Jazz Bass to an Ampeg fretless model and later a Gibson Ripper for The Last Waltz . After the Band performed its farewell concert ( The Last Waltz ) at Winterland in November 1976, Danko was offered a contract with Arista Records by Clive Davis , making him the first Band member to record a solo album. Issued in 1977, his self-titled début featured each of his former bandmates in addition to Ronnie Wood , Eric Clapton , Doug Sahm , Blondie Chaplin , and Danko's brother, Terry . The album

602-532: The Pink Floyd songs " Comfortably Numb " and " Mother ", the former with Van Morrison , Roger Waters , and Levon Helm , and the latter with Helm and Sinéad O'Connor . He recorded demos and made a number of appearances on albums by other artists throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and, in 1997, released Rick Danko in Concert . Two years later, a third solo album ( Live on Breeze Hill ) was released, and Danko

645-720: The State University of New York at Albany . Danko was buried next to Eli at Woodstock Cemetery, Woodstock, New York . For the April 2012 edition of Bass Musician: Bass Magazine for Bass Players and the Bass Industry , Rob Collier wrote an article titled "How to Danko: A Lesson in the Style of Rick Danko". In the Irish Times , Laurence Mackin wrote: Together with bass player Rick Danko, [Levon] Helm formed one of

688-461: The humid continental climate zone, even with the recent mild winters and warmer dry summers. As in all communities, towns and cities throughout the world, global warming due to human industrial activity has drastically altered the climate of Blayney over the decades. The warmest summers that Blayney has witnessed occurred in 1998, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 (with the exception of the month of July ), 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Should

731-594: The Band could promote the album by touring, Danko was severely injured in a car accident, breaking his neck and back in six places, which put him in traction for months. While he was in traction, Danko's girlfriend, Grace Seldner, informed him that she was pregnant, and he proposed from his hospital bed. When they married at the Church of the Holy Transfiguration of Christ-on-the-Mount in Woodstock, Danko

774-584: The Band recorded a huge number of cover songs and original Dylan material in the basement. In the process, the Band began to develop their distinctive sound for the first time. These sessions ended in October 1967, with Levon Helm having rejoined the group by that time. The recordings were not commercially released at the time, but attracted attention through a demo circulated amongst recording artists by Dylan's publishing company Dwarf Music, and through bootlegs such as Great White Wonder . Several songs from

817-476: The Band was given some equipment by Ampeg , which included a fretted Ampeg AEB, a fretless Ampeg AMUB and an Ampeg "Baby Bass", a fiberglass-made electric upright bass. The fretless AMUB, modified with a Precision Bass pickup (see picture above, of Danko performing with the Band in Hamburg, 1971), was his bass of choice for the next years to come, and can be heard prominently on Stage Fright and Cahoots , and

860-902: The Band's music – it gave it heart and soul. The Drive-By Truckers ' song "Danko/Manuel," written by Jason Isbell , was released on their album The Dirty South in 2004. Steve Forbert released "Wild as the Wind (A Tribute to Rick Danko)" on Just Like There's Nothin' To It in 2004. Martin Hagfors honored Danko on the Home Groan song You Made a Difference in 2000. A number of musical artists have cited Danko as an influence, including Elvis Costello , John Doe , Mumford & Sons , Lucinda Williams , Jay Farrar , Neko Case , Robbie Fulks , Cindy Cashdollar , Craig Finn of The Hold Steady , Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend , Mike Watt , and Eric Clapton who said "Rick's singing has had

903-684: The Byrds , the Flying Burrito Brothers and others in a touring company called "The Byrds Twenty-Year Celebration." Several members of this band performed solo songs to start the show including Danko, who performed "Mystery Train". In 1989, he toured with Levon Helm and Garth Hudson as part of Ringo Starr 's first All-Starr Band . On July 21, 1990, in Roger Waters 's stage production of The Wall Concert in Berlin , Danko sang on

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946-665: The Chicago area and a final gig at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan , Danko died of heart failure in his sleep at his home in Marbletown, New York . He was 55. He was survived by his second wife, Elizabeth (died 2013), whom he had married in 1989, a stepson, Justin, and a daughter, Lisa, from his first marriage. His son Eli, from Danko's first marriage, died in 1989, at age 18, from asphyxiation after heavy drinking while attending

989-687: The Danko/Butterfield Band. Among the songs they covered was " Sail On, Sailor ", originally recorded by the Beach Boys , with Blondie Chaplin, who toured with Danko/Butterfield, on guitar and vocals. From 1983 to 1999, Danko alternated between a reformed version of the Band featuring Helm, Hudson, and guitarist Jim Weider (and, from 1983 to 1986, Manuel); a solo career; and collaborations including award-winning work with singer-songwriter Eric Andersen and Norway's Jonas Fjeld as Danko/Fjeld/Andersen . In 1984, Danko joined members of

1032-632: The Hawks perform. Grossman introduced the band's music to Dylan, who was impressed. The band was performing at Tony Mart's, a popular club in Somers Point, New Jersey, and Grossman's office called the club to speak with Levon and the group about touring with Dylan. Helm was not happy to be backing a "strummer" but reluctantly agreed, and the band became Dylan's backup group for a tour beginning in September. The tour, however, became too much for Helm, who departed in November. Through May 1966, Dylan and

1075-541: The Hawks, now called the Band, released seven studio albums before breaking up. Beginning with the group's reformation in 1983 and up until his death, Danko participated in the Band's partial reunion. Danko was born on December 29, 1943 in Blayney, Ontario , a farming community outside the town of Simcoe , the third of four sons in a musical family of Ukrainian descent. He grew up listening to live music at family gatherings and to country music , blues and R&B on

1118-743: The band. By September 1960, he was Hawkins's bassist. In 1961, Danko with drummer Levon Helm backed guitarist Lenny Breau on several tracks recorded at Hallmark Studios in Toronto. These tracks are included on the 2003 release The Hallmark Sessions . Soon joined by pianist Richard Manuel and multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson , the Hawks played with Hawkins through mid-1963. An altercation that year between Danko and Hawkins led Danko, Levon Helm , Robbie Robertson , Manuel, and Hudson to give two-weeks' notice in early 1964, and they parted ways with Hawkins on reasonably amicable terms. The group had been planning to break with Hawkins and continue together as

1161-689: The basement of Big Pink, between June and October 1967, generating recordings that were officially released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes . In October, the Hawks began demo recordings for their first album, with Helm rejoining the group in that month. Their manager, Albert Grossman , secured them a recording deal with Capitol Records in late 1967. From January to March 1968, the Band recorded their debut album, Music from Big Pink , in recording studios in New York and Los Angeles. On this album, Danko sang lead vocal on three songs: "Caledonia Mission", " Long Black Veil " and " This Wheel's on Fire ." Before

1204-440: The conclusion of the sessions with Dylan, the Band began writing their own songs at Big Pink. They still had no official name, and in 1969, Rolling Stone referred to them as "the band from Big Pink." These songs became their first album, Music from Big Pink (1968). The album included three songs written or co-written by Dylan (" This Wheel's on Fire ", " Tears of Rage ", and " I Shall Be Released ") as well as " The Weight ",

1247-442: The finest rhythm sections to ever put a groove to a beat, and a partnership that formed the backbone of the Band. In Danko, he had the perfect complementary player, one of the finest bassists and one of the gentlest souls. His music was subtle, his instinct for just the right note unwavering – he could play one beat in four bars, but lord could he make it count. Their subtle, intense rhythmic conversation brought shape and distinction to

1290-424: The first witness of this album that's been thought and composed right there inside its walls. The house was subsequently sold by Gramms in 1977. It was rented to classical music label Parnassus Records, which used it as its headquarters, before becoming a private residence in 1998. As of 2017, the house is used as a vacation rental property, with publicity featuring its role in music history. A painting of Big Pink

1333-534: The musicians who would later become the Band began to record together, initially in the "Red Room" at Dylan's house, Hi Lo Ha, in the Byrdcliffe area of Woodstock. In June, these sessions moved to the basement of Big Pink, where Hudson set up a recording space using two stereo mixers and a tape recorder borrowed from Dylan's manager Albert Grossman , as well as a set of microphones on loan from folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary . During June-October 1967, Dylan and

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1376-551: The radio. He especially liked country music, and often his mother would let him stay up late to listen to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio. His musical influences included Hank Williams , the Carter Family and, later, Sam Cooke . He also drew inspiration from the music of his eldest brother, Junior. Danko's second-eldest brother, Dennis, was an accomplished songwriter, and his younger brother, Terry , also became

1419-525: The region from about 1350 until their absorption by the Iroquois in the year 1651. The last significant native nation to occupy the area was the Mississaugas . In 2001, Haldimand-Norfolk was dissolved into two separate single-tier counties. Blayney became part of the newly formed County of Norfolk. It is the birthplace of Rick Danko , a founding member of The Band . Established prior to 1920, it

1462-702: The remaining foursome (together with pick-up drummers, including the actor and musician Mickey Jones ) traveled across the U.S., Australia, and Europe. After the final shows in Britain, Dylan retreated to his new home in Woodstock, New York , and the Hawks joined him there shortly thereafter. It was Danko who found the pink house on Parnassus Lane in Saugerties, New York , which became known as Big Pink . Danko, Hudson, and Manuel moved in, and Robertson lived nearby. The Band's musical sessions with Dylan took place in

1505-465: The sessions were taken up by other performers, starting with Peter, Paul and Mary's cover of "Too Much of Nothing" which reached number 35 on the Billboard chart in late 1967. Some of the basement recordings were eventually officially released in 1975, as The Basement Tapes , while the full set of recordings was released in 2014 as The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete . After

1548-473: The use of which in the film Easy Rider would make it probably their best-known song. The album features a photograph of Big Pink on its back cover, along with a description written by Canadian journalist Dominique Bourgeois, who went on to marry Robertson. A pink house seated in the sun of Overlook Mountain in West Saugerties, New York. Big Pink bore this music and these songs along its way. It's

1591-470: Was a blueline Ampeg SVT, and he also used a 1959 Fender Bassman . Solo With Danko/Fjeld/Andersen Other appearance Live albums Compilation albums Archival releases Bob Dylan Indigo Girls Richard Manuel Robbie Robertson Todd Rundgren Ringo Starr Neil Young Blayney, Ontario Blayney is a hamlet in Norfolk County , Ontario , Canada that

1634-592: Was arrested in Japan for drug smuggling after his wife sent him heroin. Danko pleaded not guilty, but acknowledged having used heroin and stated that he would seek help if he were allowed to return to the United States. After spending ten and a half weeks in prison, Danko was released and given a suspended sentence. On December 10, 1999, days after the end of a brief tour of the Midwest that included two shows in

1677-569: Was at work on a fourth ( Times Like These ) at the time of his death. In the meantime, the Band (without Robbie Robertson and Richard Manuel) recorded three more albums, and Danko teamed with Fjeld and Andersen for two trio albums, Danko/Fjeld/Andersen in 1991 and Ridin' on the Blinds in 1994. In 1994, Danko was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Band. Danko struggled with heroin addiction. On May 6, 1997, he

1720-408: Was primarily recorded at the Band's California studio, Shangri-La. The poor sales of the album destined it for rarity status. After he recorded an unreleased follow-up album, Danko was dropped from Arista. The follow-up album was finally released as a part of Cryin' Heart Blues in 2005. In early 1979 Danko opened shows for Boz Scaggs . Also in 1979, Danko and Paul Butterfield toured together as

1763-629: Was still in a neck brace. Rick and Grace divorced in October 1980. The Band finally made their concert debut at Bill Graham 's Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in April 1969. By this time, they were already hard at work on their eponymous second album . On that record, sometimes known as the Brown Album, Danko sang what would become two of his signature songs—and two of the group's best-loved classics: " When You Awake " and "Unfaithful Servant." Both songs exemplified Danko's talents as

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1806-476: Was used as the cover of the Band's 1993 album Jericho . Rick Danko Richard Clare Danko (December 29, 1943 – December 10, 1999) was a Canadian musician, bassist, songwriter, and singer, best known as a founding member of the Band , for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. During the 1960s, Danko performed as a member of the Hawks, backing Ronnie Hawkins and then Bob Dylan . Then, between 1968 and 1977, Danko and

1849-555: Was used live, as can be seen in the film Festival Express also in video footage included in the Live at the Academy of Music 1971 release. This fretless bass was sold on eBay from a private collection in early 2012 for US$ 35,000.00. He was also seen performing with Fender Precision Basses and he also owned four Gibson Rippers , and would change out the pickups to experiment with different tones. Photos and video show him often playing

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