The first official biography of The Band pianist Richard Manuel will hit shelves this spring with Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band. Out May 28th via Schiffer Publishing, author Stephen T. Lewis‘ account of the late keyboardist weaves together new interviews and copious research to present a never-before-seen side of the quiet, and ultimately tragic, figure.
With thoughtful analysis of Manuel’s music, Lewis’ biography places the singer, songwriter, and composer’s work within a musical and historical context. Manuel played a pivotal role in flashpoints of rock music history, including Bob Dylan‘s decision to go electric, Woodstock in 1969, and The Band’s legendary farewell concert The Last Waltz. Alongside drummer Levon Helm and bassist Rick Danko, Manuel rounded out The Band’s iconic vocal trifecta and contributed classics “Tears of Rage” and “We Can Talk”, and his high falsetto voice became synonymous with the Dylan-penned, Band-perfected “I Shall Be Released”. Featuring new interviews with family, friends, and collaborators including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison, the new Richard Manuel biography brings his immense contributions to the forefront and celebrates a brilliant musical mind from one of rock music’s most influential bands.
Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band traces his roots back to a blues-obsessed boy in Stratford, Ontario. After leading his first band The Revols, Manuel joined Helm, Danko, Robbie Robertson, and Garth Hudson in The Hawks, which became a formidable touring band behind Ronnie Hawkins until breaking away and (after a stint with Dylan) formed The Band. After decamping to the artistic enclave of Woodstock, NY, Manuel and The Band changed the face of rock music with timeless songs that were both a bold step forward and a faithful look back at roots traditions.
Across seven studio albums in ten years, The Band created a genre all its own by combining the burgeoning rock ‘n’ roll ethos with time-honored traditions from folk and blues music, ultimately helping birth what’s today classified as Americana. Critical and commercial success came quickly, and in 1973 The Band alongside the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band set the Guinness World Record for “largest audience at a pop festival” for bringing over 600,000 fans to Watkins Glen, NY.
With The Band’s rise came the fall, as years of prodigious touring, incessant studio output, fraught creative dynamics, and mounting substance abuse issues took their toll on the group. On November 25th, 1976, The Band said farewell with The Last Waltz at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The group would reunite the following decade sans Robertson under the banner of The Band, but was never able to recapture the essence or excitement of the original group. On March 4th, 1986, after The Band played a show at the couple hundred-person club the Cheek To Cheek Lounge in Winter Park, FL, Richard Manuel hanged himself in his motel room. He was 42. Bassist Rick Danko followed in 1999 when he died of heart failure in his sleep at 55. After several battles with cancer and bankruptcy, Helm passed away in 2012, followed by Robertson in 2023, and finally Hudson, who died last month.
“Looking beyond his human frailty, this book celebrates Richard Manuel’s immeasurable contributions to music, ensuring that memories of his voice and artistry endure,” the book’s description reads.
Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band is available here for pre-order.
The Band — “I Shall Be Released” (Bob Dylan) — Live
[Video: Ko]