Garth Hudson, the last original member of The Band, dies at 87

Garth Hudson, the organist and multi-instrumentalist whose wizardry enhanced some of the best-known songs of 1960s and 1970s rock group the Band, including "Up on Cripple Creek," "Chest Fever," and "Ophelia," died on Tuesday at age 87, the Band announced.

Hudson, a Canadian who died in Woodstock, New York, where he had lived for years, was hailed as one of the greatest keyboardists in rock music. He also played saxophone, accordion, and other instruments.

In a social media post on Tuesday, the Band called him "a musical genius and cornerstone of the group's timeless sound," adding, "Rest easy, Garth."

Hudson was the last surviving original member of the Band after guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson died on August 9, 2023.

"Hudson's Lowrey organ, from which he could coax a variety of sounds, from gospel to classical, was a centerpiece of the Band's sound," Erik Hage wrote on allmusic.com.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Garth Hudson performs during the Love For Levon Benefit Concert at the Izod Center on October 3, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo by Brian Killian / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Hudson was the oldest member of the Band and the only one who did not sing. He was perhaps the group's most recognizable member with his bushy beard, high forehead, and bear-like presence. Onstage, he came across as an intensely focused mad scientist of the keyboards who conjured up swooping, note-bending solos and timeless musical touches.

According to media reports, Hudson has been in poor health recently and has experienced financial difficulties. The reclusive musician has resided in Woodstock for decades.

The Band, comprised of four Canadians and an American, existed from 1960 to 1976 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Their first two albums, from 1968 and 1969, are considered among the greatest in rock history. The group drew from folk, blues, country, and soul influences and pioneered what is now called Americana music. They formed an influential association with Bob Dylan in the mid-1960s and were based in Woodstock for much of their career.

In addition to Hudson, the group’s Canadian members included guitarist Robertson, bassist Rick Danko, and pianist Richard Manuel. Drummer Levon Helm was from Arkansas, the U.S. Danko, Helm, and Manuel shared lead vocals. The Band reunited, without Robertson, in the 1980s and 1990s and released several new albums but failed to recapture the original group's success. Manuel died in 1986, Danko in 1999, and Helm in 2012.

La dernière valse The Last Waltz Year: 1978 - USA Garth Hudson, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko Director: Martin ScorsesePhoto by Archives du 7eme Art / Photo12 via AFP

Honey Boy

Eric “Garth” Hudson was born in Windsor, Ontario, on August 2, 1937. The classically trained musician grew up in London, Ontario, where he played organ in his uncle’s funeral parlor.

When Hudson joined the group that would eventually become the Band in 1961, he insisted that the other members pay him $10 weekly for music lessons. This arrangement was more palatable to his parents.

At first, the group was backed by rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins, known as the Hawks. Hudson was an odd fit initially, Robertson wrote in his 2016 memoir. "Garth was quiet and a bit offbeat ... (But) he played brilliantly, in a more complex way than anybody we had ever jammed with."

Helm recalled: "We called Garth 'H.B.' among ourselves. This stood for 'Honey Boy,' because at the end of the day, after the other instruments were put away, Garth was still in the studio sweetening the tracks, stacking up those chords, putting on brass, woodwinds, whatever was needed to make that music sing."

Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson arrive at the New York film "The Last Waltz" premiere on April 10, 2002. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, features the last concert by The Band at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in 1976. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen

The croaking-frog sounds on the 1969 song "Up on Cripple Creek" were Hudson playing the clavinet through a wah-wah pedal. He contributed all the brass and woodwinds to the song "Ophelia." On the Band’s most famous song, "The Weight," Hudson played piano. But his calling card was the 1968 song "Chest Fever," a monumental organ workout that began with a reference to Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Other Band songs that showcased Hudson's prowess were "Stage Fright," "Bessie Smith," and "It Makes No Difference."

"Garth was a teacher, but much more," Robertson said. "A sidekick. Part of our street gang. A brother in arms. An inspiration in showing how much a musical instrument has locked inside of it, and how much you can truly get out of it."

In addition to the Band, Hudson worked with artists including Marianne Faithfull, Norah Jones, Neko Case, Mercury Rev, John Hiatt, the Lemonheads, and many others. He sometimes performed as a duo with his wife, Maud Marie Kegel Hudson, who sang and played guitar. She died at age 71 in February 2022.

Hudson released a solo album, "The Sea to the North," in 2001.

"He is genuinely the most original and brilliant and moving keyboard player that has ever operated within rock 'n' roll," Barney Hoskyns, author of a 1993 biography on the Band, told the New York Times in 2013.