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Garth Hudson, co-founder and keyboardist of the Band, dies at 87

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On Tuesday, Garth Hudson, a quiet yet versatile multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the Canadian roots-rock band The Band, passed away at a care home in his chosen residence of Woodstock, New York. He was 87 years old.

The Toronto Star confirmed that Hudson had passed away, with the news coming from his estate executor. He reportedly died peacefully in his sleep. Hudson was the only remaining founding member of the Band after Robbie Robertson’s death at the age of 80 in 2023.

Over the course of his music career spanning many years, Hudson, whose thick beard, academic air, and impressive musical abilities lent a scholarly weight to The Band with his performances on electric organ, accordion, and saxophone, collaborated with various artists such as Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Neil Diamond, Norah Jones, Neko Case, and Ringo Starr.

Despite his bandmates often taking the spotlight in interviews and performances, Hudson’s musical textures – drawn from traditional Canadian and American folk tunes – were vital components of the Band’s sound on timeless classics like “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” and “The Shape I’m In.”

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While his bandmates spoke extensively in interviews and during performances, Hudson’s musical textures, influenced by classic Canadian and American folk songs, played a significant role in the Band’s sound on hits such as “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” and “The Shape I’m In.

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On a sad note, the musician famed for songs such as ‘Soul Man’ and ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’, passed away on Friday, in Coral Gables, Florida.

Notably, Hudson functioned as a tape recorder operator and effectively an engineer during a significant period. In 1967, Dylan relocated to Saugerties, N.Y., to recuperate from a motorcycle accident, and he held recording sessions with Hudson’s bandmates Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, and Richard Manuel in the basement of a house they called Big Pink. These recordings formed the foundation for both the groundbreaking Dylan and the Band album “The Basement Tapes,” which was officially released in 1975, and “Music From Big Pink,” the Band’s first studio album released in 1967.

Hudson’s dignified demeanor concealed his background as a rock ‘n’ roll artist. For those who have watched his performance in “The Last Waltz,” Martin Scorsese’s 1978 documentary about the Band’s final concert, Hudson’s talent is unforgettable. Instead of resembling a late-1960s pop star, he looked more like a 19th-century politician. In the movie, he delivered an alto sax solo in “It Makes No Difference” with the poise of someone delivering a speech at a podium. When he performed, he commanded attention with his flawless articulation.

In a seldom-granted 2002 interview with Canada’s Globe and Mail, Hudson expressed that various musical genres are much like diverse languages. “Since I can play many instruments,” he said, “I can learn these languages.” He further explained, “It’s all about country music; it simply varies depending on the specific country we’re discussing.

Growing up as Eric Garth Hudson, born on the 2nd of August, 1937, in Windsor, Ontario, music was deeply ingrained in my family’s heritage. My father, Fred Hudson, a former fighter pilot from World War I who later worked as a farm inspector, had a passion for music that he passed down to me. Similarly, my mother, Olive Hudson, was an accomplished accordion and piano player, teaching me these instruments from a tender age.

Beyond the formal education he received, just like many other teenagers at that time, Hudson’s musical preferences were shaped by Alan Freed’s “Moondog Matinee” rock ‘n’ roll radio show based in Cleveland. As Hudson himself put it, “That’s when I realized there were people over there having more fun than I was,” a quote from Greil Marcus’ book “Mystery Train.” At the age of 12, Hudson formed his first band and spent his teenage years playing piano and saxophone in various rock and jazz groups.

1957 saw him establish the Silhouettes alongside others, a group later known as Paul London and the Capers. They occasionally visited cities like Chicago and Detroit in the south, and during one tour even traveled west to play the renowned jazz club The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. Hudson, known for his calm Northern accent, shared with the Globe and Mail that they were asked to leave before playing for a couple of months due to immigration issues. He said, “The Border Patrol instructed us to return home. They informed us we needed permanent work visas, which back then were primarily issued to ice hockey players and wrestlers.

By the end of the 1950s in Toronto, Hudson became acquainted with the other four members of what would later be known as The Band when they were engaged to accompany rock ‘n’ roll singer Ronnie Hawkins on tour. Over time, they evolved into a well-coordinated and polished backup band, known for their dedication and skill. In 1963, they decided to leave Hawkins to embark on their own touring adventures across Canada and the East Coast clubs in the United States. Dylan encountered this talented group during one of these tours and invited them to join him on a European tour. It was during these excursions that Dylan made his transition to electric music for half of each performance.

On May 17, 1966, in Manchester, England’s Free Trade Hall, it was Hudson amplifying his distinctive Lowrey organ as Dylan delivered the intense rendition of “Like a Rolling Stone.” The first impactful notes came after an audience member, a passionate folk music fan, shouted “Judas!” at Dylan for what seemed like a betrayal of his folk heritage. This outcry was significantly influenced by Hudson’s booming organ interludes.

The following year, Hudson and the rest of their band made a visit to Dylan’s residence in Saugerties. Every morning, they would rise at Big Pink, getting ready for rehearsals. Hudson arrived early to set up the recorder before Dylan arrived. As the day’s recording sessions began, Hudson stationed himself near his organ in a corner and started the recording.

In an interview with Keyboard magazine in 1983, Hudson shared that working with Dylan was delightful due to the vividness in his lyrics. He was given the freedom to creatively manipulate these words. However, he didn’t overdo it. Instead of constantly trying to capture clouds, moon, or other images, he aimed to subtly introduce something related to the song’s lyrics about a third of the way through.

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In the 1960s, a renowned folk musician who significantly contributed to the genre’s popularity passed away from bladder cancer in his New York residence.

Hudson mentioned that when he first began, he tried out the widely used Hammond B-3 organ but was attracted instead to an organ made by a less prominent company, Lowrey. He explained, “The Lowrey provided just the right amount of grit, and I could push it to distort enough to suit our style.” He went on to say that the early models of the Lowrey would emit a powerful distorted sound when everything was cranked up.

Back in 1968, I found myself much like the esteemed Hudson, immersed in the process of creating the masterpiece “Music From Big Pink”. This album, just as my work with Dylan, was a labor of love that resonated deeply. As Marcus eloquently put it in his “Mystery Train”, this music transcended the ordinary, flowing with spirits of acceptance and desire, rebellion and awe, raw excitement, good vibes, open humor, a magical connection to history – all while seeking plurality and drama in an America that was often portrayed as one-dimensional.

The album and its subsequent release in 1969, titled “The Band,” significantly solidified their standing with critics. However, it didn’t resonate with a youth market heavily engrossed in LSD and psychedelic tunes at that time. When the genre they pioneered, country-rock, gained commercial dominance a few years later, they found themselves watching as bands like the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Neil Young climbed the charts. From 1970 to 1976, The Band put out five studio albums, yet none reached commercial heights. Still, they maintained their prowess on stage. Dylan extended an invitation for them to join him on a tour in 1974, which eventually led to Dylan’s first live album, “Before the Flood.

During the mid-70s, Hudson, along with many of his bandmates including drummer Helm who split his time between L.A. and Arkansas, relocated to Malibu for establishing another iconic studio known as Shangri-La. Dylan joined them financially, and they rented a house, which was previously a brothel, transforming it into a cutting-edge recording facility. Hudson acquired an adjacent property he called Big Oak Basin Dude Ranch. However, the Band had already been active for close to 15 years by then. They disbanded in 1976 due to numerous addictions and personal transitions, but not without releasing their final studio album with the original lineup, titled “Islands”. Tragically, Hudson and his wife Maud lost their home and possessions in the 1978 Agoura-Malibu fire. Today, Shangri-La is owned by producer Rick Rubin.

Following the breakup of the Band, Hudson found a steady rhythm in his career as a session musician, contributing to albums by Poco, Van Morrison, The Call, Camper Van Beethoven, Mary Gauthier, among others. Without Robertson, the Band partially regrouped in 1983 for touring, spending the next three years as main acts and sharing stages with the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills and Nash. After Manuel’s suicide in 1986, the Band reentered the studio for the 1993 album “Jericho”, but Robertson chose not to reunite with Hudson, Helm, and Danko on this occasion.

Hudson’s contributions to fellow Canadian Neko Case’s renowned ’00s albums, “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” and “Middle Cyclone,” underscored how his haunting organ chords and exquisite improvised melodies have echoed through generations.

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Hudson significantly impacted Neko Case’s popular ’00s albums, “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” and “Middle Cyclone,” by demonstrating how his ominous organ chords and captivating improvisations have struck a chord with listeners across generations.

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On Neko Case’s celebrated ’00s albums, “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” and “Middle Cyclone,” Hudson showcased how his foreboding organ chords and enchanting improvisations have left a lasting impression on listeners spanning generations.

As they entered their golden years, Hudson and his spouse decided to move back to the Hudson River Valley. Throughout his career as a non-songwriting band member, Hudson didn’t have any ownership stake in the Band’s songs, thus he didn’t consistently receive publishing royalties from their creations. Previously, Hudson had already transferred his share of the Band to Robertson.

2013 saw Hudson in headlines as the owner of a storage unit in New York threatened to sell off his memorabilia because of unpaid bills. Having already faced multiple bankruptcies, Hudson found it challenging to get back possession of his collection.

Maud Hudson died in late February 2022. The couple did not have any children.

Accompanied by his bandmates, Hudson was honored by being inducted into Canada’s Juno Hall of Fame in 1989, and later, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2008, he and the Band received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Garth Hudson produced two solo albums: “Music for Our Lady Queen of the Angels” in 1980 (available only on cassette) and “The Sea to the North” in 2001. Blending various styles, using synthesizers, organs, a Vocoder voice box, and a progression of tempo changes reminiscent of a prog-rock album, Hudson’s compositions and performances across both records suggest that his creative inspiration was overflowing with an abundance of ideas.

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2025-01-21 22:01

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