The Band was a group of 5 men: Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, and Robbie Robertson. All except Helm were from Canada. Helm was from Arkansas, USA.

The group played as back-up for Bob Dylan, and the mixture of players became most commonly referred to as "Bob Dylan and the band", so when they struck out independent of Dylan, they chose "The Band" for the group's name.

As of early 2022, Hudson and Robertson are the surviving members. Danko died of heart failure at age 55, Helm at 71 from cancer, and Manuel committed suicide at 42.

Their music style is now called Americana. It's a combination of folk, country, and rock music.