As a member of the Band, Richard Manuel gave the group its most soulful vocals and its signature bluesy backbone through his gritty, syncopated keyboard work. Although his role was huge, he never received the recognition he deserves, partly due to his own self-effacing nature and because, as his admirer Eric Claption put it, Manuel became "defined by his tragic end." That may change with Stephen Lewis' recent biography of the Band's unsung hero. Drawing from Levon Helm's book This Wheel's On Fire, Robbie Robertson's Testimony and the Daniel Roher-directed documentary Once Were Brothers, as well as interviews with Manuel's family and former bandmates and friends from his t...
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