To the following showcased,I thank you all from the bottom of my soul,you have all made this world a brighter place.
- Diggy
YEARS : 1960 - 1999
MEMBERS : Robbie Robertson (guitar,piano,main songwriter,vocals), Richard Manuel (vocals,
piano,drums,harmonica,organ,baritone-sax), Rick Danko (vocals,bass,guitar,
fiddle,trombone,mandolin), Levon Helm (vocals,drums,mandolin,guitar,bass), Garth
Hudson (organ,clavinette,piano,accordion,trumpet,soprano,tenor and baritone sax)
With 4/5 of the members from Canada (Helm hails from Arkansas),this band started off as a backing band for the likes of Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan,then went out on their own in 1968.
Their songs sounded more like historical facts then just songs,and between Helm,Danko and Manuel taking turns singing lead,they did not just sing a song,they told the tale. In 1976,the original line-up of The Band called it quits,but resumed to make music years later without Robertson.
Manuel died in 1986 and after Danko passed away in 1999,The Band then called it quits.
MUST HAVE SONGS : It Makes No Difference, The Weight, Rag Mama Rag, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, To Kingdom Come, Rockin' Chair, The Rumor, The Unfaithful Servant,
Whispering Pines, Stage Fright, Daniel And The Sacred Harp.
http://theband.hiof.no/
He had been apart of numerous bands and collaborations,including "The Byrds","Crosby,Stills,
Nash","Crosby,Stills,Nash and Young","Crosby-Nash" and "CPR",his voice and unique guitar tunings alone make him stand out from the crowd. Although only releasing 3 solo albums (one of which was mostly a cover album),Crosby's sly smile and charm has never disappeared,no matter how many ups and down he has had.
MUST HAVE SONGS : Traction In The Rain, What Are Their Names, Natalie, Oh Yes I Can,
Tamalpais High, Drop Down Mama, Drive My Car, Song With No Words,Laughing.
http://crosbycpr.com/
Releasing their debut album together in 1972,the duo soon proved they could handle their own in the songwriting field. Releasing 4 studio albums and 2 live albums,the combination of David Crosby and Graham Nash was nothing less then magical,especially when they had The Mighty Jitters as their backing band. Both Crosby and Nash were at their most crafted and skilled songwriting during these legendary times of the 1970s. In 2004,Crosby and Nash released their 4th studio album after a nearly 30 year span between their last record in 1976. A double album which included 20 songs.
MUST HAVE SONGS : To The Last Whale, Time After Time, Immigration Man, Girl To Be On My Mind, Page 43, Where Will I Be?, Strangers Room, Mama Lion, Fieldworker, Carry Me, Out Of The Darkness, Lay Me Down, On The Other Side Of Town, Through Here Quite Often, Charlie.
http://crosbynash.com/
Although CSN only releases a new studio album once every decade,their impact on the music scene is undeniable. With their 3-part harmony and the multi-instrumentalist Stephen Stills,they
write what they have observed and the truth of what is really happening in the present world while still captivating audiences by their purely electrifying concert performances.
MUST HAVE SONGS : 49 Bye-Byes, Helplessly Hoping, Suite:Judy Blue Eyes, Long Time Gone, I Give You Give Blind, Just A Song Before I Go, See The Changes, In My Dreams, Wasted On The Way, Southern Cross, Turn Your Back On Love, It Won't Go Away, Only Waiting For You.
http://crosbystillsnash.com/
With Neil Young joining them in mid 1969,he gave them a bit of a darker sound,and as with CSN,
CSNY manage to release a studio album once every decade. In 1976 Stills and Young released a good album entitled "Long May You Run". It's few and far in between though when CSNY all manage to get together to perform or even record,nonetheless what they had managed to do is nothing short of memorable.
MUST HAVE SONGS : Almost Cut My Hair, Find The Cost Of Freedom, Our House, Ohio,
The Lee Shore, Carry On, Deja Vu, 4+20, Night Song, Got It Made, American Dream, Out Of
Control, Sanibel, Seen Enough.
http://www.csny.net/
Although Nick Drake has passed on over 30 years ago,his unique voice,rhythm changes and tunings will forever be hauntingly beautiful to those who hear them. The three magical studio albums he released could not be musically more different from each other,but yet all contain a lot of the same atmospheric tones that he let ring out of his soul.
MUST HAVE SONGS : Clothes Of Sand,Winter Is Gone, River Man, Way To Blue, Fruit Tree,
Hazey Jane II, At The Chime Of A City Clock, Northern Sky, Pink Moon, Free Ride, Road.
http://nickdrake.com/