"Chest Fever" is a song recorded by the Band on its 1968 debut, ''

Music from Big Pink ''Music from Big Pink'' is the debut studio album by the Band. Released in 1968, it employs a distinctive blend of country, rock, folk, classical, R&B, blues, and soul. The music was composed partly in " Big Pink", a house shared by bassist/s ...

''. It is, according to Peter Viney, a historian of the group, the album track that has appeared on the most subsequent live albums and compilations, second only to "

The Weight "The Weight" is a song by the Canadian-American group the Band that was released as a single in 1968 and on the group's debut album '' Music from Big Pink''. It was their first release under this name, after their previous releases as Canadian ...

". The music for the piece was written by guitarist

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel i ...

. Total authorship is typically credited solely to Robertson, although the lyrics, according to

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...

, were originally improvised by Helm and

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in The Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and ...

, telling the story of a man who becomes sick when he is spurned by the woman he loves. Robertson has since said the lyrics were nonsensical, used only while the instrumental tracks were recorded. "I'm not sure that I know the words to "Chest Fever"; I'm not even so sure there are words to "Chest Fever"." He has also stated the entirety of the song does not make sense. At the

Woodstock Festival Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

in 1969, the Band performed on the final day, between

Ten Years After Ten Years After are a British rock group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, the band had eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, they had twelve albums enter the US ''Billboar ...

and Blood, Sweat, and Tears. They opened the set with "Chest Fever". The song featured a dramatic solo organ intro played by

Garth Hudson Eric "Garth" Hudson (born August 2, 1937) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for rock group the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He was a ...

. Writing in the 3rd edition of ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'', Paul Evans stated that "The organ mastery of "Chest Fever" unleashed the Band's secret weapon, Garth Hudson." The introduction is based on

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

Toccata and Fugue in D minor The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is a piece of organ music written, according to its oldest extant sources, by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). The piece opens with a toccata section, followed by a fugue that ends in a coda. Schola ...

. In live performances, this solo evolved into an improvisation drawing from numerous musical styles and lasting several minutes. "When Levon Helm has complained about the share out of royalties at this period, this is the song he quotes," states Viney. "His theme is that Garth's contribution was always grossly under-estimated and under-credited. As he says, 'what do you remember about "Chest Fever" - the lyrics or the organ part?'" Starting in the seventies, the organ introduction to "Chest Fever" began to be listed as a separate song called "The Genetic Method", credited solely to Hudson, that precedes "Chest Fever", and it was included as such on their 1972 live album ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

''.

Later performances

Viney notes that despite the death of Richard Manuel later line-ups of the Band continued to perform "Chest Fever" with Helm singing lead vocals. It "rapidly became an on-stage showpiece for Garth's organ", and as such it was an essential song. He says the definitive recordings of the song can be found on ''Live in Washinton'' (sic) an Italian bootleg of the group's 1976 King Biscuit Flower Hour performance, or the version on ''The Complete Last Waltz''. The song has been covered numerous times by bands including

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael A ...

Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a r ...

, and most recently, the rootsy jam band

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and g ...

. It has also been covered by

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 wit ...

during his Battle Studies tour. The song was chosen by

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both ''Late Ni ...

and the CBS Orchestra to accompany

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on '' Saturday Nig ...

as Murray emerged from a giant cake during his final appearance on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

'' on the show's penultimate episode in 2015.

Studio personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''

A Musical History ''A Musical History'' is the second box set to anthologize Canadian-American rock group the Band. Released by Capitol Records on September 27, 2005, it features 111 tracks spread over five compact discs and one DVD. Roughly spanning the group' ...

''. *

- lead vocals, piano *

- electric guitar *

Lowrey organ The Lowrey organ is an electronic organ named for its developer, Frederick C. Lowrey (1871–1955), a Chicago-based industrialist and entrepreneur. Lowrey's first commercially successful full-sized electronic organ, the Model S Spinet or '' ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

Rick Danko Richard Clare Danko (December 29, 1943 – December 10, 1999) was a Canadian musician, bassist, songwriter, and singer, best known as a founding member of the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. During ...

- bass guitar, violin *

- drums * John Simon -

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contrab ...

Select discography

The Band

* ''

'' (1968) * ''

'' (1972) * ''

Anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...

'' (1978) * ''Band Gift Set'' (1989) * '' To Kingdom Come'' (1989) * ''Collection'' astle(1993) * '' Across the Great Divide'' (1994) * ''Most of the Band'' (1994) * ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (2000) * ''Live at Loreley'' (2001) * ''Rock of Ages'' eluxe Edition(2001) * ''

The Last Waltz ''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as The Band's "farewell concert a ...

'' ox Set(2002) * ''Moon Struck One'' (2002) * ''Very Best Album Ever'' (2002) * ''Music from Big Pink''

onus Tracks Onus, from Latin, indicates accountability/responsibility Onus may also refer to: * Blame * Burden (disambiguation) * Legal burden of proof In a legal dispute, one party has the burden of proof to show that they are correct, while the other ...

(2003) * ''Rock of Ages'' onus CD(2004) * ''

'' D/DVD Box Set(2005) * ''Live at the Academy of Music 1971'' D/DVD Box Set(2013) * ''Palladium Circles: The Classic NYC Broadcast 1976'' (2015) * ''Music from Pig Pink'' 0th Anniversary Edition(2018)

Rick Danko Richard Clare Danko (December 29, 1943 – December 10, 1999) was a Canadian musician, bassist, songwriter, and singer, best known as a founding member of the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. During ...

* '' In Concert'' (1997) * '' Live on Breeze Hill'' (1999) * ''Live at the Lone Star 1984'' ith_Richard_Manuel_and_Paul_Butterfield.html" ;"title="Paul_Butterfield.html" ;"title="ith Richard Manuel and Paul Butterfield">ith Richard Manuel and Paul Butterfield">Paul_Butterfield.html" ;"title="ith Richard Manuel and Paul Butterfield">ith Richard Manuel and Paul Butterfield(2011)

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...

* ''Ramble at the Ryman'' (2011)

Lighthouse (band), Lighthouse

* ''Suite Feeling'' (1969)

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in The Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and ...

* '' Whispering Pines: Live at the Getaway''

apan Apan is a city and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 346.9 km². Overview As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 39,247. It was an important site in the W ...

(2002)

Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a r ...

* ''

'' (1970) * ''Alive in America'' (2006)

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael A ...

* ''

'' (1968) * '' Captured Live at the Forum'' (1969) * ''Three Dog Night: Live'' (1988)

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and g ...

* '' Endless Highway: The Music of The Band'' (2007)

References

*"CD Review: Band Tribute Album Lavishes Praise With Little Originality: Record Pays Homage To '60s Rock Legends," David Hyland, Soundbytes, NBC4.com website, February 5, 2007 http://www.nbc4.com/entertainment/10888401/detail.html *"Chest Fever", All Music website *Viney, Peter, "Chest Fever", 1997, Jan Høibergs, The Band website http://theband.hiof.no/articles/chest_fever_viney.html {{authority control 1968 songs Songs written by Robbie Robertson The Band songs Three Dog Night songs Song recordings produced by John Simon (record producer)