"A Call For Bread" Press Release

Rick supported a number of causes and headlined and performed in many, many benefits throughout his career--from the SNACK concert in the mid-70s with Bob Dylan and Neil Young, to benefits for numerous charities, organizations, and causes, large and small, from Family of Woodstock to the Autism Society of America to Greenpeace.

In 1989 or 90, Rick met a very interesting, talented, and rather enigmatic fellow named Nenad Bach, when Nenad, a native of Croatia, came to Woodstock to record "Can We Go Higher?" a plea to stop the war in Croatia, at Bearsville Studios, which sponsored the recording. Nenad was mesmerized, not just by Rick's voice, but by his magnetism and "his childlike innocence," and Rick, always open to new experiences and to working on new projects with talented people, took an instant liking to Nenad. I remember Rick being impressed with Nenad's passion and genuine goodness.

Nenad Bach and Rick Danko at Bearsville Studios, circa 1990

Rick and Nenad remained friends and Rick invited Nenad to perform with him a few times at various venues, including The Wetlands in New York City, where they performed "Can We Go Higher?"

In 1992, Rick was invited by the educational organization Truth About Croatia to perform at a benefit called "A Call For Bread" on December 12 at MSG's Parmount Theater in New York. The lineup was, bluntly, surreal, with Rick Danko's name listed among such disparate entertainment-industry notables as Tommy Tune and Ellen Burstyn. As Robbie Robertson famously said in The Last Waltz, the music took The Band to "some strange places."

I don't remember much about this benefit or about the publicity for it. But I do have a faxed draft of the press release written by the Croation Information Center. The press release itself is...pretty surreal. I doubt you'll find a copy of this anywhere:

The Band "Jericho" Press Kit Folder

This is an original press kit folder from The Band's 1993 release, Jericho. Though I no longer have any complete Jericho press kits, I found this folder, which is currently holding some miscellaneous faxes and correspondence to Rick, and thought you guys might like to see it.

This was from the Canadian press kit, and was used for promotion in Canada by EMI. Rick gave it to me when he got back from the Band's promotional tour of Canada in October 1993.

The cover photo, like the photos from the CD, were taken at Opus 40 by Elliott Landy. Rick was dressed to the nines that day--in a tuxedo jacket, a black raw-silk shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. Check out some of the bad-ass poses.

A Big Thank You...

...to all of Rick's fans for the many wonderful comments--and just for being here. I've been away for a few days, but am so happy that more and more fans are finding this site and I love hearing all your comments and stories and memories about Rick and about how you discovered him and his music.

There will be more information, stories, photos, and interviews coming soon, so please keep checking this site. In the past, I had fed this site to Rick's Facebook page, but that is no longer the case. There is some overlap, but the posts on Facebook tend to be shorter, quicker, and more "in the moment," so if you haven't already, please join Rick Danko's Facebook Page, too!

Again, thanks for visiting...keep the comments coming, and let me know if there is anything special you want more of. I will try my best to make it happen! xoxo

Rick at Folk City, NYC, 1984, (c) by Theodore Lee

    

Coming Soon...

More GORGEOUS previously unpublished photos from our friend Watt Casey, Jr., who is cleaning up some scans from '74 and '76. The '76 scans include color photos. Here's a preview...

Nominate Rick for Canada's Walk of Fame

R ick Danko was not terribly comfortable tooting his own horn. When accolades were given, he'd humbly shift the attention to another artist, or refocus the conversation on "the music;" when monikers like "legend" began to be bestowed upon him, he'd graciously acquiesce. This was not false modesty, he wasn't being coy; he knew he was talented and he knew The Band was a seminal, influential group.

But he regularly found himself at a loss when it came to explaining how he "achieved" a certain sound, or why his voice sounded so wounded, or why The Band was so great. He didn't want to--or know how to--analyze it; he just wanted to make music. "This is who I am and this is what I do," he'd say. "I don't really think about it that much."

The music world loves Rick Danko. His friends and fans adore him. We think it's time the rest of the world caught on, too. So please nominate Rick for Canada's Walk of Fame. Simply click on this link and you will see the easy guidelines for nominating. If you check out the criteria for nominees, you will see that nobody is more deserving than Rick.

It only takes a few minutes to nominate, and please note that you may nominate only one person for this honor.

Other ways you can show your support for Rick are by joining Rick Danko on Facebook and Nominate Rick Danko for Canada's Walk of Fame on Facebook.

Congratulations, Levon!

Congratulations and love to Levon Helm on his second Grammy win, this time for Best Americana Album for Electric Dirt.  

It's hard to believe that Americana is a new Grammy category, but it's nice to know that the industry finally realizes that, without The Band, the Americana genre as we know it wouldn't exist.