lyrics, Danko and Manuel with 20 percent each of the lyrics, much of the music credit to Garth Hudson, and a small credit to himself for lyrics. Versions by other artists The Staple Singers recorded "The Weight" for their 1968 album Soul Folk in Action, which was described as one of two album highlights in a review. The group later collaborated with the Band to record a joint performance for the 1976 film The Last Waltz. Jackie DeShannon recorded it for her 1968 album Laurel Canyon. Released as a single, it reached number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 28, 1968. Aretha Franklin released a cover of "The Weight" in 1969, that reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on its Rhythm & Blues Singles chart on March 22, 1969. A 1969 version by Smith is used on the Easy Rider film soundtrack. The Band's record label Capitol did not allow the Band's recording to be used on the soundtrack album, so it "was replaced by a near-copy recorded by Dunhill [the soundtrack album label] act Smith". In 1969, Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations recorded a version of "The Weight" for their album Together. Released as a single, it appeared on several charts, including numbers 46 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 and 33 on its Best Selling Soul Singles charts. In 2006, Canadian country music artist Aaron Pritchett covered "The Weight" on his album Big Wheel. It was released as a single and reached number six on the Billboard Canada Country chart, and number 90 on the Canadian Hot 100. The Grateful Dead covered the song 40 times between 1990 and 1994, usually as an encore. Jerry Garcia would sing the first verse, followed by the keyboardist (whichever was in the band at the time), then bassist Phil Lesh, then guitarist Bobby Weir. The entire band would sing the final verse in unison. The song appeared on several live albums released by the Grateful Dead, including 'Spring 1990', 'Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991' and 'Dave's Picks Volume 40. References Footnotes 1968 songs 1968 debut singles 1969 singles 1993 singles The Band songs Aaron Pritchett songs Aretha Franklin songs The Supremes songs The Temptations songs Songs written by Robbie Robertson Northampton County, Pennsylvania Song recordings produced by John Simon (record producer) Capitol Records singles Roots rock songs pl:The Weight#The Weight