The first-ever official biography focusing on Richard Manuel, the late singer/keyboardist of The Band, will be published later this spring. The book, titled Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from The Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band, which has been endorsed by his family, will be released on May 28.
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The biography was written by veteran rock author Stephen T. Lewis. Details about the book were announced on The Band’s social media pages on Thursday, April 3, coinciding with what would’ve been Manuel’s 82nd birthday.
The message explained about the 400-page volume, “For the first time, Richard’s compositions and performances are explored in depth, with expert commentary highlighting his work across all of his bands and the undeniable impact he had on rock music.”
More information about the biography has been posted on the Schiffer Publishing company’s website.
The book also will feature 90 photographs from throughout his life. The tome will include new interviews with friends, family members, and other well-known musicians, including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison.
The book traces the Canadian musician’s life and career from his childhood in the Toronto suburb of Stratford, Ontario, to his first band The Revols, to playing with Ronnie Hawkins’ backing group The Hawks, which eventually would become The Band.
More About Richard Manuel
After cutting their teeth backing Hawkins, The Hawks—Manuel, guitarist Robbie Robertson, singer/drummer Levon Helm, singer/bassist Rick Danko, and multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson—struck out on their own. Then, the trajectory of the group’s career changed when they were hired as Bob Dylan’s backing band for his tours in 1965 and ’66.
When Dylan settled in the Woodstock, New York, area to recover from a motorcycle accident, the members of The Hawks moved there too. A collaboration began that yielded Dylan’s “Basement Tapes,” and the group’s own original material, leading The Hawks to rechristen themselves The Band.
Manuel was one of three talented singers in The Band, along with Helm and Danko. Richard was perhaps the most versatile vocalist in the group, with an extremely emotive voice that he could use to deliver an angelic falsetto, a mournful mid-range tenor, and a gritty, soulful growl.
Manuel also wrote or co-wrote a number of memorable songs for the influential Americana group. Among them were “Tears of Rage,” co-written with Dylan; “In a Station”; “Lonesome Suzie”; and “When You Awake” and “Whispering Pines,” both co-written with Robertson.
As a member of The Band, Manuel played the 1969 Woodstock festival, recorded the 1974 album Planet Waves with Dylan and subsequently toured with him, and took part in his group’s star-studded 1976 farewell concert, “The Last Waltz.”
Sadly, Manuel struggled with personal demons, addiction, and depression, and died by suicide in March 1986 at age 42.
More About the Book
Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from The Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band is available for pre-order now. You can check out a photo gallery and some preview pages from the biography at SchifferBooks.com.
A book-release event has been scheduled for May 31 at Bop Shop Records in Brighton, New York.
You can check out more details about the book at TalkfromtheRockRoom.com.
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