In 1964 , they separated from Hawkins ( and subsequently The Hawks ) , after which they toured and released a few singles as '' ' Levon and the Hawks ' '' and the '' ' Canadian Squires ' '' . The next year , Bob Dylan hired them for his U.S. tour in 1965 and world tour in 1966 . Following the 1966 tour , the group moved with help from Bob Dylan and his manager , Albert Grossman , to Saugerties , New York , where they made the informal 1967 recordings that became '' The Basement Tapes '' , the basis for their 1968 debut album , '' Music from Big Pink '' . Because they were always " the band " to various frontmen and the locals in Woodstock , Helm said the name " the Band " worked well when the group came into its own . The group began performing as the Band in 1968 and went on to release ten studio albums . Dylan continued to collaborate with the Band over the course of their career , including a joint 1974 tour
1974 tour
Bob Dylan and the Band 1974 Tour
The Band