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The Last Waltz

“The Last Waltz” Movie Brings Back Memories of Some Great Music

| Sande Caplin |

“The Band” is one of my top 5 all-time music groups. It had been many years since I watched their movie, “The Last Waltz.”

I was scrolling through Amazon Prime last night looking to watch something different! Not a drama, a comedy or a mystery. I wanted some music. And then, this Martin Scorsese film popped up. I flicked it on! Oh, what great music and a great story.

The Band

The band played together for 15 years. At the beginning, they were the backing band for cult hero Ronnie Hawkins and played many small gigs and venues. Then things took off and as the movie explains they became one of the greatest groups of all-time.

The road was hard and took its toll. The band played on but eventually burned out. The Band called it quits in 1976. They did a farewell show on November 25, 1976 at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom.

“The Last Waltz”

The documentary features awesome performances by rock legends Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Star, Paul Butterfield, Dr. John, Ronnie Hawkins, The Staple Singers, Ron Wood and several other great musicians.

From Wikipedia

The Band was a Canadian-American roots rock group including Rick Danko (bass guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (keyboards, drums, vocals), Robbie Robertson (guitar, vocals), and Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar). Between 1958 and 1963, they originally formed as The Hawks, a backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. In the mid-1960s they gained recognition backing Bob Dylan, and the 1966 tour was notable as Dylan’s first with an electric band. After leaving Dylan and changing their name to the Band, they released several albums to critical and popular acclaim, highlighted by the songs “The Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” According to AllMusic, “For roughly half-a-decade, from 1968 through 1975, the Band were one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world.” Their influence on several generations of musicians has been substantial: Roger Waters called their debut album, Music from Big Pink, the second “most influential record in the history of rock and roll,” and music journalist Al Aronowitz called its “country soul….a sound never heard before.” Continue Reading on Wikipedia.

So, sit down on your couch, grab a cold beer and enjoy some of the best music of all time! I highly recommend “The Last Waltz.” Here are some other ideas on things to do while in quarantine.

Photo from Amazon Prime

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