The Band’s Garth Hudson Dies, Aged 87

Garth Hudson, multi-instrumentalist, keyboard player, founding and last surviving original member of the Band died on Tuesday (Jan 21), after a lengthy illness, at a nursing facility in his hometown of Woodstock, N.Y. aged 87. Hudson’s estate executor said that he had “passed away peacefully in his sleep.”

Garth Hudson (right) with members of The Band.

Eric ‘Garth’ Hudson was born in Windsor on August 2, 1937, and raised in London, Ontario. Raised in a musical household he had his first piano lessons at the age of five and after high school attended to the Toronto Conservatory to study piano, theory and composition. Hudson became a member of Levon and the Hawks, which evolved into The Band. Initially, they supported rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins and later toured and recorded albums with Bob Dylan after he moved from folk to rock.

After Dylan’s motorcycle accident in Woodstock in 1966, Hudson set up recording at the house known as Big Pink and was vital in recording what became the Basement Tapes.

Hudson was then part of The Band’s influential lineup when they began making their own recording – a line-up that also included guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson, bassist Rick Danko, drummer and singer Levon Helm and keyboardist Richard Manuel. Hudson was the last remaining member of the group.

The Band received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and inductions into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (1989), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994) and Canada’s Walk of Fame (2014).

Hudson also played with other artists including Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Neil Diamond, Norah Jones, Neko Case and Ringo Starr.

Hudson’s wife of 43 years, Maud, passed away in 2022.