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It’s a sad day for music fans, as an icon of rock and roll has passed away.
Garth Hudson — a founding member of the legendary rock group The Band — has passed away at the age of 87.
A multi-instrumentalist who played keyboards, saxophone, and accordion on a slew of iconic albums, Hudson’s contributions can be heard on some of the most beloved songs of the 1960s and ’70s.
Garth Hudson’s Cause of Death
News of his passing comes courtesy of the executor of his estate, Jan Haus, who spoke with the Toronto Star (via The Guardian).
Hudson passed away quietly at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York.
Haus did not provide a cause of death.
A Towering Legacy
It’s difficult to overstate The Band’s influence on generations of musicians.
While they were still known as the Hawks, members Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm saw Hudson perform and convinced him to join the group. (Hudson had had his heart set on becoming a music teacher.)
It was when they were hired as Bob Dylan’s backing band that the young musicians began to stake their place in rock history.
In the mid-’60s The Band helped Dylan define a new stage in his career as he left behind the folksy acoustic sound of his earliest albums in favor of electrified rock. (The process was recently depicted in the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.)
In 1968, The Band came into their own with their debut album Music From Big Pink.
Containing such iconic tracks as “The Weight” and “I Shall Be Released,” Big Pink was met with rave reviews and impressive sales. In 2004, it scored a spot on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
In 1976, The Band performed a farewell concert at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.
The show became the basis for the iconic Martin Scorsese-directed documentary The Last Waltz, considered by many to be the greatest concert film ever made.
The Band reformed in the 1980s, and they continued to release new music until 1998.
Through it all, Garth Hudson’s inimitable organ lines added a signature element that was somehow both wistfully traditional and hauntingly psychedelic.
He was pre-deceased by bandmates Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Ronnie Hawkins, and Richard Manuel.
Our thoughts go out to Hudson’s loved ones during this difficult time.
