Your favorite backing band?

These guys:

 

The Crickets. ....because they're backing: Buddy Holly.

 

Aaaaargh. How could I have forgotten to mention Crazy Horse???

 

The Band
Billy Joel Band
The Beat Brothers (today known as The Beatles)
The Wrecking Crew
The E-Street Band

 

Genesis, Mike and Tony backing Phil since 1981.

 

Me too!

 

Wix, Rusty Anderson, Brian Ray, Abe Laboriel jr.

 

Yes, Paul McCartney‘s backing band is great

 

Favorite backing bands:

Crazy Horse
E Street Band
The Egyptians (Robyn Hitchcock)
Silver Bullet Band (Live Bullet, Night Moves era)

and The Fabulous Superlatives!!!

 

Union Station (w/Alison Krauss)

 

Floyd's ghost beats are unique

 

The MG's
The Bar Kays ( Otis backing band and frightening good on their own )
The Blockheads
The Rumours
Johnny Thunders 's Heartbreakers

 

Wrecking Crew
Wondermints
Gino Vannelli's backup band

 

George Strait's Ace in the Hole band deserves a mention in a thread like this.

 

The Bad Seeds

 

The E. Street Band
Booker T & The MG's (+ Memphis Horns)
Crazy Horse

 

The Jordanaires wouldn't do, would it, as they were more a vocal back-up band?

 

The Bluesbreakers - John Mayall

 

Yes. Seen them a few times, including on the "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" anniversary tour. Amazing band.

 

I saw TP & The Heartbreakers on the Full Moon Fever tour, when Stan Lynch and Howie Epstein were still in the band.
Amazing how well they followed every nuance, every move that Petty made. Mike Campbell and Belmont Tench always played just the right parts that made the songs that much better.

 

Lou Reed Berlin Tour, 1973
STEVE HUNTER, guitar
DICK WAGNER, guitar
RAY COLCORD, keyboards
PENTTI GLAN, drums
PRAKASH JOHN, bass

 

Crazy Horse
The Bad Seeds - I like the way the Bad Seeds personnel has changed over the years but they still are an awesome group.

 

Merle Haggard & The Strangers.

 

Emmylou Harris's Hot Band was pretty damn good too.

 

Yes, but with a caveat - many of the core singles that this band's reputation rests on featured ringers. For instance, Fred Below and Willie Dixon were never a part of the workaday touring band and Little Walter continued to record with Muddy long after he'd left to go out on his own. But there are enough recordings of just the core band, or close enough to that, to say that yes this was a great band, although saying which iteration was tops is harder and perhaps unnecessary.