Post by rootyrootz on Feb 1, 2024 2:32:07 GMT
Richard Clare "Rick" Danko (December 29th, 1943 - December 10th, 1999)
Associated acts: The Hawks (1960 - 1967), Bob Dylan (1966 - 1967, 1973 - 1974, 1976), The Band (1968 - 1976, 1983 - 1999), Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band (1989), Danko/Fjeld/Andersen (1991-1999)
Voice type: Tenor
Vocal range: E2 - D5 - E♭5 (2 octaves + 11 semitones)
Significant High Notes:
E♭5: “Rockin’ Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu” Calgary Hotel 1970
D5: “Calgary Blues” Calgary Hotel 1970, “Goin’ to Acapulco”, “Lonesome Suzie” alternate version, “The Rumor”, “Volcano”, “Thinkin’ Out Loud”, “This Wheel’s On Fire", "Twilight"
C♯5: “Atlantic City”, “Rockin’ Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu” Calgary Hotel 1970
C5: “Before You Accuse Me” Calgary Hotel 1970, “Come Running Like a Friend”, “Holy Cow”, “I Can See Clearly Now”, “I’m Your Teenage Prayer”, “I Shall Be Released” memorial of Richard Manuel 1986, “Just Another Whistle Stop” Wembley 1974, “Look Out Cleveland”, “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever”, “Mojo Hannah” Calgary Hotel 1970, “People Get Ready”, “Rag Mama Rag”, “Slippin and Slidin”, “Tears of Rage”, “This Wheel’s On Fire”
B4: “Brainwash” Capitol Theatre 1977, “Chest Fever”, “Don’t Do It”, “I Shall Be Released”, “Jemima Surrender”, “Life Is a Carnival”, “New Mexicoe”, “Shine the Light”, “Stage Fright”, “Thinkin’ Out Loud”, “Tiny Montgomery”, “Young Blood”, “We Can Talk”, “The Weight”
B♭4: “A Change Is Gonna Come”, “All Creation”, “Daniel and the Sacred Harp”, "He Don't Love You (and He'll Break Your Heart)", “The High Price of Love”, “It Makes No Difference”, “Java Blues” Capitol Theatre 1977, "Twilight", “Twist and Shout”, “Volcano”, “Where Do We Go From Here?”
A4: “Atlantic City”, “Before You Accuse Me” Calgary Hotel 1970, “Bessie Smith”, “Brainwash”, “Christmas Must Be Tonight” alternate version, “Cool Water”, “Evangeline”, “Forever Young”, “Get Up Jake”, "Go Go Liza Jane", “Hold Back the Dawn”, “Home Cookin”, “I Must Love You Too Much”, “Java Blues”, “Just Another Whistle Stop” Wembley 1974, “Key to the Highway”, “Livin’ in a Dream”, “Look Out Cleveland”, “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever”, “People Get Ready”, “The Rumor”, “Sip the Wine”, “Sleeping”, “Smoke Signal”, “Song for Canada", "Tears of Rage", “Thinkin’ Out Loud”, “Young Blood”
G♯4: “A Fool Such As I”, “The Caves of Jericho”, “Ferdinand the Imposter”, “Life Is a Carnival”, “Rockin’ Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu” Calgary Hotel 1970, “Shoot Out In Chinatown”, “The Stones I Throw”, “Street Walker”, “Twist and Shout”, “The Unfaithful Servant”, “White Cadillac (Ode to Ronnie Hawkins)”
G4: “A Change Is Gonna Come”, “Ain’t That a Lot of Love”, “All Creation”, “All Our Past Times”, “Be Careful of Stones that You Throw”, “Belshazzar”, “Blaze of Glory”, “Blind Willie McTell”, “Bound By Love”, “Calgary Blues” Calgary Hotel 1970, “Chain Gang”, “Christmas Must Be Tonight”, “Come Running Like a Friend”, “Endless Highway”, “Every Man Is His Own Hero”, “Forbidden Fruit”, “Free Your Mind”, “The High Price of Love”, “I Can See Clearly Now”, “I Don’t Hurt Anymore”, “If I Should Fail”, “In A Station”, “It Makes No Difference”, “I Wish You Were Here Tonight”, “Long Black Veil”, “Move Me”, “New Mexicoe”, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, “One More Shot”, “Raining In My Heart”, “Remedy”, “Rockin’ Chair”, “Shake It”, “The Shape I’m In”, “Sick and Tired”, “Small Town Talk”, “Stage Fright”, “Stand Up”, “Too Soon Gone”, “Up on Cripple Creek”, “Volcano”, “The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show”
F♯4: “Bring It On Home to Me”, “Chain Gang”, “Crying Heart Blues”, “Ferdinand the Imposter”, “Four Strong Winds”, “Get Up Jake”, “Holy Cow”, “If I Should Fail”, “Jupiter Hollow”, “Ragtop”, “The Rumor”, “Sip the Wine”, “Sweet Romance” Capitol Theatre 1977, “Time to Kill”, “We Can Talk”, “The Weight”, “What a Town” Capitol Theatre 1977, “Where Do We Go From Here?”, “Where I Should Always Be”, “You Don’t Know Me” Electric Bass Techniques 1987, “Your Eyes”
F4: “Acadian Driftwood”, “A Change Is Gonna Come”, “All Creation”, “Angels in the Snow”, “Blue River”, “Book Faded Brown”, “Caledonia Mission”, “Driftin’ Away”, “It Makes No Difference”, "Look Out Cleveland", “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever”, "Move Me", “Sick and Tired”, “Tired of Waiting”, “Too Soon Gone”, “Twilight”
Significant Low Notes:
E3: “Amazon (River of Dreams)”, “Baby I’m Lonesome”, “Baby Ain’t That Fine”, “Brainwash”, “Bring It On Home to Me”, “Christmas Must Be Tonight”, “Endless Highway”, “Evangeline”, “High Cotton”, “Holy Cow”, “If I Should Fail”, “I Wish You Were Here Tonight”, “Java Blues”, “Last Train to Memphis”, “Life Is a Carnival”, “Long Black Veil”, “Mystery Train”, “Ridin’ on the Blinds”, “Rock, Salt and Nails”, “The Saga of Pepote Rouge”, “Sip the Wine”, “Spirit of the Dance”, "Thinkin' Out Loud", “Time to Kill”, “What a Town”, “When I Get My Just Rewards”, “Your Eyes”
E♭3: “Come Running Like a Friend”, “Forever Young” 1996 version, “Lie With Me”, “Too Soon Gone”, “Where Do We Go From Here?”
D3: “Acadian Driftwood”, “A Change Is Gonna Come” with The Grateful Dead 1973, “Blue River”, “Book Faded Brown”, “Christmas Must Be Tonight”, “Driftin’ Away”, “Evangeline” interview 1993, “Endless Highway”, “Home Cookin”, “If I Should Fail”, “I Wish You Were Here Tonight”, “Jemima Surrender”, “Keep This Love Alive”, “Kentucky Downpour”, “Long Black Veil”, “Mary, I’m Comin’ Back Home”, “Raining In My Heart”, “The Rumor”, “Stage Fright”, “Sweet Romance”, "The Weight" The Last Waltz Version, “When I Get My Just Rewards”
C♯3: “High Cotton”, “Last Thing On My Mind”, “Once Upon a Time”, “Ridin’ on the Blinds”, “Street Walker”, “When You Awake”
C3: “Angels in the Snow”, “Blue River”, “Book Faded Brown”, “Driftin’ Away”, “Home Cookin”, “I Can See Clearly Now”, “Mojo Hannah” Calgary Hotel 1970, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, "Ring Your Bell", “Rockin’ Chair”, “Sick and Tired”, “Stuff You Gotta Watch”, “Twilight” 1994 version, “The Unfaithful Servant”
B2: “Baby I’m Lonesome”, “High Cotton”, “Once Upon a Time”, “Raining In My Heart”, “Ridin’ On the Blinds”, “Shoot Out In Chinatown”, “Stage Fright”, “Sweet Romance”, “What a Town”, “When You Awake”, "You Don't Come Through"
B♭2: “Come Running Like a Friend”, “Forever Young” 1996 version, “Java Blues” Lonestar Cafe 1985, “Lie With Me”, “Sick and Tired”, “Too Soon Gone”
A2: “Ain’t Got No Home / Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” Electric Bass Techniques 1987, “Baby I’m Lonesome”, “Before You Accuse Me” Calgary Hotel 1970, “Blue River” interview 1991, “Calgary Blues” Calgary Hotel 1970, “Keep This Love Alive”, “Mary, I’m Comin’ Back Home”, “Street Walker”, “Sweet Romance”, “Time To Kill”
G♯2: “He Stopped Loving Her Today” Toronto 1992, “Lie With Me”, “Outside Track”
G2: “Caledonia Mission”, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” Toronto 1992, "I'm in the Mood"
E2: “Caledonia Mission”, "I'm in the Mood"
{Summary}
Rick Danko was the bass player for roots rock group, The Band, and he had the lightest natural placement out of the singing members.
Danko did not possess much volume in his lower register, but still it allowed him to sing tenderly and helped him navigate through many of the group’s most emotional ballads. He was able to be more versatile in his upper range. The B♭4 in “Where Do We Go From Here?” displays some great potential for clean upper 4th octave singing that he never really utilized much, instead going for either growly shouts (“Thinkin’ Out Loud”) or a brassy forte (“Daniel and the Sacred Harp”). Rick Danko at full throttle was the vocal trumpet of the group.
His harmonies are omnipresent throughout the discography. Robbie Robertson, their primary songwriter, claimed in his memoir “Testimony” that Danko was the best harmony singer out of the whole group. When singing lead vocals he had an ability to communicate a powerful vulnerability, and in my opinion a uniquely frantic urgency. “It Makes No Difference” exemplifies this and is generally, if not unanimously, regarded as his best performance.
Rick Danko was the bass player for roots rock group, The Band, and he had the lightest natural placement out of the singing members.
Danko did not possess much volume in his lower register, but still it allowed him to sing tenderly and helped him navigate through many of the group’s most emotional ballads. He was able to be more versatile in his upper range. The B♭4 in “Where Do We Go From Here?” displays some great potential for clean upper 4th octave singing that he never really utilized much, instead going for either growly shouts (“Thinkin’ Out Loud”) or a brassy forte (“Daniel and the Sacred Harp”). Rick Danko at full throttle was the vocal trumpet of the group.
His harmonies are omnipresent throughout the discography. Robbie Robertson, their primary songwriter, claimed in his memoir “Testimony” that Danko was the best harmony singer out of the whole group. When singing lead vocals he had an ability to communicate a powerful vulnerability, and in my opinion a uniquely frantic urgency. “It Makes No Difference” exemplifies this and is generally, if not unanimously, regarded as his best performance.
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*Blue marks falsetto notes.
*Underlines mark notes that are potentially obscured in the song's mix/harmonies.
*Italics mark non-melodic notes.
*Bold marks notable examples of the singer's vocal capabilities.