Garth Hudson, known for his musical talents with the Band, passed away peacefully in his sleep today at 87, as reported by the Toronto Star.
Born in Windsor, Ontario to musician parents, Garth moved to London, Ontario where he began formal training in piano and music theory. When he was about twenty years old, despite his parents’ worries, he joined a rock band called the Hawks with Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm. To ease their concerns, he made sure the band paid him an extra $10 each week for lessons. He was the last one to join this group of Canadian musicians: Robbie Robertson, Rich Manuel, Rick Danko along with Helm and Hawkins who soon left. Eventually, Garth became the final surviving member of what would be known as the Band.
Bob Dylan noticed their vibrant performances and invited them to back him up on his 1965 electric tour. They worked on songs for Blonde on Blonde and created music that became part of The Basement Tapes. After parting ways with Dylan temporarily, they released their own album in 1968 titled Music From Big Pink, featuring hits like “The Weight” and covers such as Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.”
The Band gained fame with albums like their self-titled release in 1969 followed by others including Stage Fright, Cahoots, Moondog Matinee, and finally Northern Lights-Southern Cross. Garth added unique sounds using horns on tracks like “Ophelia” from Northern Lights and experimenting with effects like a wah pedal on “Up on Cripple Creek.” His improvisational piece “The Genetic Method” often led into “Chest Fever” during live shows.
Their farewell concert in San Francisco became Martin Scorsese’s famous film The Last Waltz, hailed as one of history’s best concert films. The original lineup’s last record was called Islands, released in 1977. Even after that era ended, Garth stayed active through different versions of the group’s reunions while also working alongside Helm, Robertson, and Danko separately.
Tough financial times forced Hudson into bankruptcy three times; some blame fell upon Robertson due to disputes over songwriting credits which allegedly affected royalties distribution unfairly according to Helm and Danko. They believed this financial strain contributed significantly towards Manuel’s tragic suicide back in ’86 along with health issues leading up to Danko passing away later.
