Garth Hudson, the proficient multi-instrumentalist, passed away on Tuesday at 87 at the Ten Broeck Centre for Rehabilitation & Nursing in Upstate New York.
The report of his demise was confirmed by Garth’s friend and associate Jam Haust to Rolling Stone. The reason behind his passing has not been revealed as of now; however, Jam mentioned that Garth’s last moments were peaceful.
Garth Hudson was the last living member of the legendary music group called ‘The Band’. Born on August 2, 1937, Hudson played accordion, organ, trumpet, and piano as well. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Canadian musician and his bandmates Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel have assisted Bob Dylan and Ronnie Hawkins by transitioning the 60s era from acoustic folk into rock before casting their spell on the audience with their mindblowing tunes. Renowned for his Lowrey organ intro for the song ‘Chest Fever’, his contributions by arranging instruments enhanced the tunes of the music such as in ‘Up on Cripple Creek’, ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’, and ‘The Weight’.
The Keyboard magazine described him as the most brilliant organist in the rock world, saying, “Where most rock organists 15 years ago were infusing their organ work with the razzle-dazzle of gospel, Hudson cultivated a more pastoral sound.”
Captivated by his insane talent, Ronnie Hawkins invited Hudson into their band, earlier ‘The Hawks’, describing him as, “there’s no question in my mind that, at the time, Garth was far and away the most advanced musicians in rock & roll.” Once Hudson joined ‘The Band’, Helm recalled that they thought that the musicians were unparalleled in the amount of talent in the whole world.
Hudson, the only member in the band who has never contributed to any song with his vocals, expressed in the Canadian magazine Maclean’s in 2003 “Play a stadium, play a theatre. My job was to provide arrangements with pads underneath, pads and fills behind good poets. Same poems every night,” saying it was a job to play.
Hudson, the not-so-self-effacing musician, was one of the greatest musicians in the world, and his demise is a loss for the world.
