Rick Danko : Rick Danko

Richard Clare Danko

 (December 29, 1943 – December 10, 1999) 

was a 

Canadian musician, 

bassist, 

songwriter, 

and

 singer,

 best known as a 

founding member of

 The Band, 

for which he was

 inducted into

 the Rock and Roll 

Hall of Fame

 in 1994.

During the 1960s, 

Danko performed as a 

member of

 the Hawks, 

backing 

Ronnie Hawkins 

and then

 Bob Dylan. 

Then, 

between 1968 and 1977,

 Danko and the Hawks, 

now called

 the Band, 

released seven 

studio albums 

before breaking up.

 Beginning with

 the group's 

reformation in 1983 

and up until his death, 

Danko participated

 in the Band's 

partial reunion.

DEATH

On 

December 10, 1999, 

days after the end 

of a brief tour 

of the Midwest 

that included

 two shows

 in the Chicago area 

and a final gig

 at the Ark

 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 

Danko died of 

heart failure

 in his sleep

 at his home in

 Marble town, New York. 

He was 55.

He was survived by his

 second wife,

 Elizabeth

 (died 2013), 

whom he 

had married

 in 1989,

a stepson, 

Justin, 

and a

 daughter, Lisa, 

from his first marriage. 

His son Eli,

 from Danko's 

first marriage, 

died in 1989, 

at age 18, 

from asphyxiation

 after heavy drinking 

while attending

 the State University 

of New York 

at Albany. 

Danko was buried 

next to Eli 

at Woodstock Cemetery, 

Woodstock, New York.

 Rick Danko 

is the

 1977 debut 

by the bassist 

and singer for

 the Band. 

Featuring ten tracks mainly 

(but not completely)

 written by Danko, 

mostly in conjunction

 with lyricists 

Bobby Charles 

and

 Emmett Grogan, 

it was the first

 solo album 

by any member

 of the group

 and was Danko's 

only solo studio album; 

the other two albums

 he released in

 his lifetime

 were solo

 live recordings

 and collaborative 

studio albums.

Rick Danko

 is the only

 solo album 

by a member of 

the Band 

to feature 

each member 

of the group, 

with 

Garth Hudson

 playing accordion on 

"New Mexico", 

Robbie Robertson

 playing lead guitar on

 "Java Blues", 

Richard Manuel

 playing electric piano on 

"Shake It", 

and

 Levon Helm

 singing harmony vocal

 on the closing track

 "Once Upon a Time".

 Danko handled

 lead vocals,

 bass,

 and guitar.

 Other guests included

 Eric Clapton

 (guitar on "New Mexico"), 

Ronnie Wood

 (guitar on "What a Town"), 

Beach Boy

 and later

 Band member

 Blondie Chaplin

 (guitar and bass on various tracks) 

and

 Doug Sahm 

(guitar on various tracks).

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