Garth Hudson, talented multi-instrumentalist and keyboardist of the legendary group, has died at the age of 87 while sleeping at his residence in Woodstock, New York. The news has been confirmed by his representative. Hudson was the last to join The Band, and he has been the last to leave. With his death, we also say goodbye to one of the most important and acclaimed groups in rock history.
Hudson was born in Ontario in 1937, and became involved in music from that moment on. His father played the flute, drums, cornet and saxophone, and his mother the accordion. 20 years later, The Hawks was born, the group that would later be known as The Band. At that time, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm accompanied singer Ronnie Hawkins. From the moment Hudson joined, everything changed thanks to his skills.
In 1965, when they are recruited to be the band to accompany Bob Dylan on his first electric tour, the legend of The Band begins. After becoming friends with Dylan, they recorded the famous ‘Basement Tapes’ together with Hudson acting as recording engineer. In 1968, they released ‘Music From Big Pink’, considered one of the best debuts in history. The Band released seven albums during the 1970s, until disbanding with their ‘Last Waltz’, immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s 1978 film.
Hudson’s solo career produced three albums. The first of these, ‘Music for Our Lady Queen of the Angels’, came out in 1980. Hudson did not release any more solo albums until the early 2000s, due to a reunion of The Band that lasted until the late 90s.
Since 1994, Hudson has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Band. On the other hand, in 2008, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy.
