Richard Manuel: His Life and Music from The Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band, an official biography written by Stephen Lewis is slated for publication on June 17. The somewhat reclusive member of The Band only granted a handful of interviews during his life, but the author gained lots of fascinating insights about Manuel by consulting family members, friends, and fellow musicians including Van Morrison, Eric Clapton and Corky Laing to gain insights into Manuel's musical genius and the influence he quietly brought forth in studio sessions and in concert. Laing's appreciation of Manuel grew out of "Having spent many a long night with Richard." The Mountain member lauds the book, saying it "...beautifully captures the essence of the brilliant musician to an extra ordinary detail."

Grateful Dead Publicist and author Dennis McNally wrote of the Lewis book, "...though other band members got more attention, Richard Manuel's voice and classic blues piano were at the very core of that music" and praises the biography as one that deserves "serious attention" as one that "...fills a major gap in our understanding" of his musical role.