There are bands for which
rock and roll is a lifestyle,
and then there are bands
for which it is life.
To many, The Weber Brothers are the baddest band in the land. To many others, their story sits like an ancient volume in an old bookstore, dust covered, tucked away behind hundreds of newer shinier books waiting to be discovered.
Ryan and Sam Weber left their Baltimore, Maryland, home as teenagers with one goal: to meet their idol, rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins. Ten hours later, they were standing at his doorstep. Hawkins, whose former protégés Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson who went on to become The Band, recognized something in the brothers and invited them to audition for Ronnie’s legendary backing group, The Hawks.
After surviving Hawkins’ famously demanding “Rock ’n’ Roll Boot Camp,” Ryan and Sam became full-fledged Hawks. By the ages of 18 and 21, they had already performed alongside artists including Kris Kristofferson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Jeff Healey and The Tragically Hip. Over the following two decades, they would record more than 18 independent albums and tour extensively throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.
In 2012, The Weber Brothers were invited to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s American Music Masters tribute to Chuck Berry in Cleveland, sharing the stage with Merle Haggard, Lemmy Kilmister, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Rick Derringer, Joe Bonamassa, Earl Slick, Steve Jordan and Chuck Berry himself.
Their story was captured in the 2016 feature documentary Before We Arrive: The Story of The Weber Brothers, which received the Toronto Independent Film Festival’s Best Documentary award. Beyond their own recordings and performances, Ryan and Sam have also become highly regarded studio musicians, contributing to hundreds of outside projects and recording with artists including Gordon Lightfoot, Kris Kristofferson, Ronnie Hawkins and Willie Nelson.
What began with two teenagers knocking on Ronnie Hawkins’ door has grown into decades of touring, recording, collaboration and a life built almost entirely around music. The history matters, but The Weber Brothers have never been a nostalgia act. Their work continues to evolve through new records, changing lineups and the restless musical chemistry that has carried them from Hawkins’ stage to their own.
Between their renowned musical ability, high-energy, awe-inspiring performances and lessons learned first hand from rock n’ roll pioneers, a reputation as the “Baddest Band in the Land”, “heroes of this generation” and “the future in the big shoes of the past” now precedes them. Whether it be their unrivaled power as a full rock band, or their undeniable chemistry highlighted in a head-to-head duo performance, The Weber Brothers always deliver.
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“If it’s looked at as a passing of the torch or a keeping of the flame, then we’re the guys to do it.”
Ryan Weber
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