April 03: The late Richard Manuel was born in 1943
For me he was the true light of the Band. The other guys were fantastic talents, of course, but there was something of the holy madman about Richard. He was raw. When he sang in that high falsetto the hair on my neck would stand on end. Not many people can do that.
~Eric Clapton
A nice tribute video – I’m just a country boy:
I Shall Be Released (The Band)
Gonna dedicate this song to Mr. Richard Manuel, who does it so well
~Bob Dylan (Introducing “I Shall Be Released” December 8, 1975)
Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his contributions to and membership in The Band. Here is the wonderful “Georgia On My Mind” from The Last Waltz concert:
The Band was a Canadian-American roots rock group that originally consisted of Rick Danko (bass guitar, double bass, fiddle, trombone, vocals), Levon Helm (drums, mandolin, guitar, vocals), Garth Hudson (keyboard instruments, saxophones, trumpet), Richard Manuel (piano, drums, baritone saxophone, vocals) and Robbie Robertson (guitar, vocals). The members of the Band first came together as they joined rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins’s backing group, The Hawks, one by one between 1958 and 1963. You Dont Know Me – Tokyo 1983
Posthumous recognition
Wikipedia, http://theband.hiof.no, + |
Playlist of the day:
Other April-03
- Richard John Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949) is a British songwriter, guitarist and recording and performing musician. Highly regarded for his guitar techniques and strange, darkly-funny lyrics, Thompson’s music has been consistently lavished with praise by critics and by his peers throughout his long career. He was awarded the Orville H. Gibson award for best acoustic guitar player in 1991. Similarly, his songwriting has earned him an Ivor Novello Award and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio.
- Donald Eugene “Don” Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as “Sweet Dreams” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.
- “It’s Now or Never” is a popular song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley’s publishing company, in 1960. The melody of the song is adapted from the Italian standard, “‘O Sole Mio”, but the inspiration for it came from the song, “There’s No Tomorrow”, recorded by U.S. singer, Tony Martin, in 1949. The lyrics were written by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold.
Released July 5, 1960 Format Vinyl single Recorded April 3, 1960 Genre Pop Length 3:15 Label RCA Writer(s) Wally Gold, Aaron Schroeder,Eduardo di Capua
-Egil & Hallgeir
Good stuff on Richard! You could also see a wonderful vintage performance of his Across The Great Divide. Search for it on YouTube and reference dylanpresley. It’s my edit made from work print outtakes from The Festival Express.
Great, thank you!
Incredible:
https://youtu.be/whvpWa5wM4s
So very sad, gone at 42 what a wonderful voice. We miss you Richard.