The Band had been around in one form or another for the better part of a decade when they first appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in August of 1968. They had spent most of that time backing Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan, inspiring the group to dub themselves The Band. Their debut LP Music From Big Pink had just arrived on shelves when this story hit, and from that point on they were no longer anonymous — even if they're facing away from the photographer in this photo.

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This article appears in the August 24, 1968 issue of Rolling Stone. The issue is available in the online archive

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