Garth Hudson, Organist for The Band, Dies at 87

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Garth Hudson, the distinguished multi-instrumentalist (keyboard, saxophone, and accordion) and the last living member of The Band, passed away on Tuesday. He was 87 years old.

Hudson passed away peacefully during the night at a care facility in Woodstock, New York, as confirmed by the person handling his estate to The Toronto Star.

As a passionate fan, I can proudly say that I’ve followed the journey of the legendary Canadian band, which includes Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and myself (in spirit). Before they became the iconic group we know today, they backed Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan. Then, they boldly ventured out on their own to refine a unique style that beautifully blended American roots music with country, blues, R&B, gospel, rockabilly, and an extraordinary touch of tenor sax and organ melodies, thanks to the talents of Hudson.

A notable moment during the band’s performance was when Hudson, sporting a beard and portraying a mad genius, played an organ solo and improvised an introduction to “Chest Fever.” This song, penned by Robertson and reminiscent of Bach with its classical undertones, kicked off their set at Woodstock in 1969. It was a track from their groundbreaking 1968 debut album called Music From Big Pink.

1983 saw Keyboard magazine noting that unlike many rock organists 15 years prior who infused their organ work with gospel flair, Hudson’s sound was more akin to pastoral landscapes. Unlike artists such as Billy Preston, Felix Cavaliere, Alan Price, Ray Manzarek, and Doug Ingle, who were often center stage, Hudson preferred to work behind the scenes, allowing The Band’s rhythm instruments and vocalists to take the spotlight while he subtly wove complex musical tapestries into each song so seamlessly that it was challenging to distinguish his keyboard contributions individually.

Born on the 2nd of August, 1937, in the vibrant city of Windsor, Ontario, I find myself tracing my roots back to a family with an extraordinary background. My father, Fred James Hudson, was a decorated World War I fighter pilot before his musical talents came to light. Similarly, my mother, Olive Louella Pentland, also possessed a knack for music.

Starting in 1940, the family settled in London, Ontario, where Hudson went to Broughdale Public School, Medway High School, and eventually the University of Western Ontario. During this time, he also pursued classical piano studies and played the organ at St. Luke’s Anglican Church and his uncle’s funeral home.

In the latter part of the 1950s, when rock ‘n’ roll was gaining popularity, Hudson played with dance groups. Then, in 1958, he joined Paul London & the Capers for a three-year engagement.

Back in 2016, after I’d relocated from my Toronto residence to Arkansas to join Hawkins’ backup band, I reminisced in my memoir, “Testimony,” about suggesting to our rockabilly roadshow that Hudson should hop on board.

Robertson shared that he recently spoke with Garth Hudson, who is not only an exceptionally talented musician but also a remarkably intriguing individual,” the text could be rephrased as, “He described Hudson as someone more than just a skilled player on keys, but a unique and captivating personality.” Furthermore, “He brought up this novel device that connects to a piano yet produces organ-like sounds, which would magnify our sound significantly.

Besides this, he pointed out that Hudson skillfully played multiple types of saxophones. As Hawkins put it, “Absolutely, with an organ and brass instruments, that would create quite the powerful sound.

Yet, it required persuasion for Hudson, aged 24 at the time, to depart from his parents’ home. The deciding factor, as Robertson remembered, was that Hudson would receive an extra $10 per week to teach music lessons to his bandmates. This helped ease the concerns of his parents, who worried their son might be jeopardizing his education.

In his 1993 memoir titled “This Wheel’s on Fire,” Helm expressed that it was truly an esteemed privilege to have Garth as his teacher. He shared that he gained valuable insights into chord structures and harmonies under Hudson’s tutelage.

According to Helm, he’d hear a tune on the car radio, which was in a Cadillac, and he’d tell us the chords as it played. Even if the chord structures were complex, Garth could handle it effortlessly. As a result, we became skilled enough to play almost any song.

Between 1961 and 1963, the children from a small Canadian town and the native of Arkansas, Helm, frequently performed across southern Ontario alongside Hawkins. Hudson accompanied them, carrying his distinctive Leslie speaker cabinet and an enhanced Lowrey organ equipped with wah-wah pedals.

Following their departure from Hawkins in early 1964, the quintet, now known as Levon and the Hawks (and briefly the Canadian Squires), embarked on solo tours across North America. On one occasion, they were arrested for marijuana possession, but only Danko faced charges, eventually receiving a year on probation.

In September of 1965, the band known as the Hawks auditioned for Bob Dylan at Friar’s Tavern on Yonge Street in Toronto. They accompanied John Hammond on an album that same year, and they were present when Dylan electrified the folk world by switching to electric guitar during his tours in 1965 and 1966.

At one point while performing at Toronto’s Massey Hall, Dylan encountered scorn from folk music enthusiasts in attendance, and a local critic even disparaged Dylan’s performance by saying he was playing with a “mediocre band from Yonge Street.

It was only Garth who appeared to grasp why this event was unfolding, and he attributed it to being a reflection of the current era,” Robertson penned in his autobiography, while the rest of the band found the criticism quite affecting.

In a 2002 interview with Maclean’s magazine, Hudson expressed it as follows: “It was my role to create musical accompaniments, with cushioned bases and rhythmic embellishments, for talented poets. I would do this night after night, performing the same pieces each time.

In 1967, the Hawks joined Dylan at his pink rural home in Woodstock while he was healing from a motorcycle injury. During the autumn and winter of that same year, they worked together on underground recordings, which later became famous as The Basement Tapes.

In a 2014 documentary, Hudson reminisced that during those times, Bob often used a typewriter, would strike its keys for some time, then someone would descend the stairs to inspect the machinery. Eventually, everyone would make their way down the pink staircase to record more Dylan demos in the cellar of what we now call the “Big Pink” house.

In the year 1968, this group of five musicians came to be widely recognized as The Band and released the album titled “Music From Big Pink”. This very same album was ranked at number 34 in the top 500 albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, back in 2003.

Over the following eight years, I’d be part of creating and releasing eight magnificent albums, filled with hits such as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

In 1976, the Band concluded an iconic era with their final concert on Thanksgiving, which was immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s film “The Last Waltz” (1978). Following this, Levon Helm and Rick Danko reunited with Hudson for a new album titled “Jericho”, initially released in 1993, with two additional LPs following.

Additionally, he provided music for Martin Scorsese’s film “Raging Bull” (1980), Philip Kaufman’s movie “The Right Stuff” (1983), and created a score in 1980 for a Los Angeles exhibit by sculptor Tony Duquette titled Our Lady Queen of the Angels, which was later released as an album.

1989 saw the Band being honored in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, while in 1994, sporting a mostly gray beard, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. During his acceptance speech, the modest organist acknowledged almost every musician he had collaborated with or been inspired by, which included the Gipsy Kings, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Marianne Faithfull, Roger Waters, Jennifer Warnes, Cyndi Lauper, and Clifford Scott.

In 2001, Hudson launched his debut solo album titled “The Sea to the North“, however, he sought bankruptcy protection for a third time during the same year.

Lawyer Michael Pinsky informed the Daily Freeman newspaper that his client is courageously dealing with multiple obstacles, one of which is the passing of a previous partner, Rick Danko. Danko unfortunately passed away in December 1999 at the age of 55, following years of struggles with alcoholism and substance abuse.

In 2019, he was bestowed the title of Member of the Order of Canada. This recognition came for his exceptional musical achievements and for nurturing numerous up-and-coming artists throughout the last six decades.

In 2017, Hudson, who was then living anonymously in Woodstock, took part in the “Last Waltz 40 Tour” as a tribute to The Band’s final concert, which had occurred 40 years prior. He reappeared in April 2023, playing “Sophisticated Lady” on the piano from a wheelchair at a private concert in Kingston, New York, organized by fellow pianist Sarah Perrotta.

His wife and frequent bandmate, singer-actress Sister Maud Hudson, died in February 2022.

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2025-01-21 19:25