Garth Hudson, the multi-talented musical talent who elevated the Band while remaining its most designated part , died Tuesday. He was 87.
Hudson, who was the last surviving member of the group, died in his sleeping at a nursing home in Woodstock, according to the Toronto Star. His actual cause of death was never announced.
“Garth when said, ‘ I found some real satisfaction in helping individuals get to the underside of their feelings, ’” read a article on the team ’s Instagram account. “Through his song, he did just that — helping us all feel more profoundly and attach to anything greater. ”
Hudson was the only member of the Band who always sang onscreen or on a report, but he still imprinted his exclusive noise on the team through his ability to play almost any device — piano, clavinet, piccolo, saxophone, melodica, piano, synthesizer — and play it well.
He was best known for his work on the instrument, preferring a Lowrey to the stone common Hammond B-3 of the time. Apparently his defining factor to the Band was the amazing organ solo to open “Chest Fever, ” thus clear that it was given its unique brand, “The Genetic Method. ”
Hudson was the oldest and next part to join the Band, which was formerly known as the Hawks and backed up Ronnie Hawkins. In the late 1960s, they ditched Hawkins, hit the road with Bob Dylan as he left his folk stems behind and then released their second studio album, “Music from Big Pink, ” in 1969.
The just classically trained singer in the class, Hudson was admired by his acquaintances for his tremendous skills.
“There’s no question in my mind that, at the time, Garth was far and absent the most advanced musician in rock ‘n ’ roll, ” the Band guitarist Robbie Robertson once said. Drummer Levon Helm added in his autobiography that after Hudson joined, “We truly thought we were the best band in the world. ”
Following the group ’s epic finale concert , “The Last Waltz ,” in 1976, Hudson played with a variety of partners on many tapes but never again reached the level of popularity achieved by the Band.
Members of the Band dying before him were keyboardist Richard Manuel in 1986, bass Rick Danko in 1999, Helm in 2012 and Robertson in 2023. Hudson’s family, Maud, died in 2022.
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