Since announcing last June that the entire Ed Sullivan Show back catalog was headed to YouTube, the channel for the iconic variety show has seen loving digital restoration of performances from some of the most famous musicians of the 1960s. That tradition continued over the weekend with a video of The Band performing “Up On Cripple Creek” on Ed Sullivan on November 2nd, 1969.
There to promote the release of The Band (often called The Brown Album) two months later, it was all hands on deck for this classic rock staple. Though drummer Levon Helm takes the reins on vocals, it’s a team operation that even sees Robbie Robertson offering his meager voice alongside the powerhouse trio of Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel. Don’t count out wild card Garth Hudson, however, who steals the show at the 1:41 minute mark with the kind of shy facial expression that made him the enigma of The Band.
Related: The Band Shares Previously-Unreleased “The Weight” From Royal Albert Hall, 1971 [Listen]
Watch The Band perform “Up On Cripple Creek” on The Ed Sullivan Show on November 2nd, 1969. Subscribe to the show’s YouTube channel for more archival content uploaded daily.
The Band – “Up On Cripple Creek” – 11/2/69
[Video: The Ed Sullivan Show]
Robertson is currently working with director Martin Scorsese on composing the music for the upcoming film, Killers Of The Flower Moon. Based on the true story of the Osage murders that spawned the creation of the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the 1930s, the film is set to feature Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson in their film debuts. The film adaptation is expected to be released theatrically and on Apple TV later this year.