The Band are now seen as the most influential American group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Having toured the circuit for years they became famous as Bob Dylan's backing band in 1965. After Dylan's motorcycle crash they recorded with him the songs which became known as the basement tapes. Their first two albums - Music from Big Pink and The Band - are among the seminal records of the era. In their preoccupation with American history and mythology they created a body of work of great beauty which has endured as well as any of the period. This book will take their story up to the end of the group which was captured in Martin Scorcese's film The Last Waltz.