History / Timeline
Timeline
A fast-reference chronology. For the full story behind any of these, the History section covers each era in depth.
1935: Ronnie Hawkins is born in Huntsville, Arkansas.
1937: Garth Hudson is born in Windsor, Ontario.
1940: Levon Helm is born in Elaine, Arkansas.
1943: Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson are all born within a few months of each other.
1957: Levon Helm, seventeen, joins Ronnie Hawkins's band as drummer.
1958: Hawkins relocates his operation to Toronto.
1960 to 1961: Robertson, Danko, Manuel, and Hudson each join the Hawks in turn, completing the five-man lineup by December 1961.
Early 1964: The five leave Hawkins after a falling-out, briefly calling themselves the Levon Helm Sextet, then Levon and the Hawks.
August 1965: Bob Dylan hires the group to back him on his first electric tour.
May 17, 1966: A fan shouts "Judas" at Dylan during the electric set in Manchester, with the group on stage behind him.
July 29, 1966: Dylan crashes his motorcycle near Woodstock, ending the tour.
Spring to October 1967: The group records what becomes The Basement Tapes with Dylan in West Saugerties, New York.
July 1, 1968: Music from Big Pink, the debut album, is released.
April 1969: The group's first-ever concert under its own name, at Winterland in San Francisco.
September 22, 1969: The self-titled second album, The Band, is released.
August 17, 1970: Stage Fright is released.
September 15, 1971: Cahoots is released.
August 15, 1972: The live album Rock of Ages is released.
October 1973: Moondog Matinee, an album of covers, is released.
January to February 1974: The group reunites with Dylan for the Tour '74 arena tour.
November 1975: Northern Lights–Southern Cross, the group's acclaimed comeback album, is released.
November 25, 1976: The Last Waltz, the farewell concert, is held at Winterland on Thanksgiving Day.
March 1977: Islands, the last studio album with all five original members, is released.
1978: The Last Waltz concert film is released.
1983: Helm, Danko, Hudson, and Manuel reunite for a tour without Robertson.
March 4, 1986: Richard Manuel dies in Winter Park, Florida.
1989: The Band is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
1993: Jericho, the first studio album in sixteen years, is released.
1994: The Band is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1996: High on the Hog is released.
1998: Jubilation, the tenth and final studio album, is released.
December 10, 1999: Rick Danko dies in his sleep at home near Woodstock, ending the group for good.
February 9, 2008: The Band receives the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; no reunion takes place.
April 19, 2012: Levon Helm dies of throat cancer.
August 9, 2023: Robbie Robertson dies of prostate cancer.
January 21, 2025: Garth Hudson dies in Woodstock, the last of the five original members.