Garth Hudson, the group’s last founding member, dies at 87: NPR

Garth Hudson, the last surviving founding member of the beloved folk rock ensemble The groupdied. The Canadian musician was 87 years old. His close friend Jan Haust, a music archivist and producer, confirmed the news to NPR. “He was a divine musical gentleman,” Haust says. “He died peacefully in his sleep, holding the hand of someone he loved.”

Born Eric Hudson in Windsor, Ontario in 1937, the musician grew up with supportive parents who were themselves multi-instrumentalists. When Hudson was approached several times by members of what would become The Band, he initially refused to join. Only with a few special conditions – including an extra $10 a week to give music lessons to the other members, which he hoped would help win the approval of his rock-averse parents – did he finally gave in.

Around this time, the group was working as the backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. They later separated from Hawkins and met Bob Dylanwhich sadly went from acoustic folk to trendy rock. The quintet — Hudson, Robbie RobertsonRichard Manuel, Helm of Levon and Rick Danko – touring behind Dylan in 1965 and ’66.

In 1967, the group moved to a house in upstate New York, which they nicknamed Big Pink. In his basement they recorded over 100 songs with Dylan, later released as The basement bandsand fleshed out the material for what would become The Band’s debut album, Music by Big Pink.

Hudson played keyboard, accordion and saxophone. But it was his playing of the Lowrey organ and clavinet as lead instruments that gave The Band’s music its churchy, post-psychedelic sound, particularly on tracks like “Chest Fever” and “Up On Cripple Creek.

“The best line I’ve ever heard about Garth is, ‘Music is his first language,'” Canadian writer Harry Hew told NPR. “He’s always been in his own world and I’m just grateful that he found a way to communicate with our world.”

After the group officially disbanded in 1976, Hudson continued to play in several iterations of the group, including one live session with bassist and singer Rick Danko for NPR in 1989.

In 1994, The Band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Later in his career, Hudson worked as a session musician for artists such as Norah Jones and Neko Case. In 2023, he performed publicly for the first time in several years at a house concert hosted by pianist and close collaborator Sarah Power (formerly known as Sarah Perrota). Harry Hew shared a video performance on X.

“As soon as his fingers touch the keys, everything is right in the world and it’s magical,” Hew says. “I mean, he never lost that spark.”