Robbie Robertson and The Band’s Classic ‘The Weight’
‘200 Greatest 60s Rock Songs’ Book Excerpt
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It is sad to note the passing of Robbie Robertson, who died on August 9, 2023, at age 80. In this excerpt from the eBook 200 Greatest 60s Rock Songs, we look back on the song Robertson wrote that became one of The Band’s best-loved recordings: “The Weight.”
The Band was a group of talented multi-instrumentalists and vocalists: four Canadians, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, and Richard Manuel, and Levon Helm from Turkey Scratch, AR. Its members met in Canada as part of Ronnie Hawkins’ band, the Hawks.
Hawkins, who grew up in Fayetteville, AR found success in Canada in the late 1950s and became a permanent resident. Helm was a member of the Hawks when the four Canadians joined in the early 1960s.
The Hawks left Hawkins in 1964 and started working as Bob Dylan’s backing band a year later. After he suffered a motorcycle accident in 1966, Dylan invited the Hawks to join him in Woodstock.
The group rented a pink house in nearby West Saugerties, NY, that they would call Big Pink. During the period backing Dylan, the group settled on the name The Band.
