History

The Band's story runs from a backing group behind Ronnie Hawkins in the late 1950s to five members who, one by one, are all now gone: Richard Manuel in 1986, Rick Danko in 1999, Levon Helm in 2012, Robbie Robertson in 2023, and Garth Hudson in January 2025. This section tells that story in full, era by era, plus the standalone questions fans ask most.

Start at the beginning, or jump to an era. Twelve chronological chapters cover the complete arc, from The Hawks (1957–1964) and Going Electric with Dylan (1965–1966) through the group's classic run with Music from Big Pink (1968) and The Band (1969), to the breakup covered in The Last Waltz & Breakup (1976–1978), and the closing chapter, The Long Goodbye (1999–2025).

Need the short version, or a specific answer? The Timeline lays out every date at a glance. The Name Story, Why They Broke Up, and Why No Original Lineup Reunion answer the questions that come up most, and Awards and Honors covers the recognition that followed.