Great choice! I think the Band represented so much more than the south. They were picking from styles from all over country. Their influences directly shape today's Americana music scene. They may wrote some "southern" songs (The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down), and featured one of the greatest southern singers ever (Levon Helm), but they were decidedly a Canadian-American band.
That’s a fair point re The Band re the breadth of their scope. My feeling was that The Band and CCR had a ‘vibe‘ about them, that made the public susceptible to the arrival of the southern rock bands. They planted a seed that no one knew was there until it bloomed.
And as you say their influence on Americana is obvious. Levon was something else, especially in The Last Waltz, he was one of the highlights himself.
Anytime. I enjoy your articles. After sending that, I remember seeing a Time Magazine cover of the Band that said something like “New Southern Sound.” It’s so funny because four of them are Canadians.
Great choice! I think the Band represented so much more than the south. They were picking from styles from all over country. Their influences directly shape today's Americana music scene. They may wrote some "southern" songs (The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down), and featured one of the greatest southern singers ever (Levon Helm), but they were decidedly a Canadian-American band.
That’s a fair point re The Band re the breadth of their scope. My feeling was that The Band and CCR had a ‘vibe‘ about them, that made the public susceptible to the arrival of the southern rock bands. They planted a seed that no one knew was there until it bloomed.
And as you say their influence on Americana is obvious. Levon was something else, especially in The Last Waltz, he was one of the highlights himself.
And thanks for the restack btw
Anytime. I enjoy your articles. After sending that, I remember seeing a Time Magazine cover of the Band that said something like “New Southern Sound.” It’s so funny because four of them are Canadians.
Thank you, that’s very encouraging.
Yeah, 4 Canadians, that was a good time for Canadians
I think a deep dive into where the Band started would be interesting. They played with Ronnie Hawkins during the early days of rock in Toronto.
You might have something there.