Obit: Windsor-born member of The Band, Garth Hudson, has died

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Garth Hudson — Aug. 2, 1937 – Jan. 21, 2025

A Windsor-born multi-instrumentalist and founding member of The Band, who helped shape an era of rock and toured with Bob Dylan, has died at the age of 87.

Hudson died early Tuesday morning at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York.

Although he was born to musician parents in Windsor in 1937, Hudson grew up in London, Ont., classically trained, developing an affinity for piano, synthesizers, horns, and his favourite — the Lowry organ.

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He was later recognized in 2002 by Windsor’s Canada South Blues Society was a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Hudson was the oldest of five musicians that made up The Band, a Canadian-American rock group formed in Toronto in 1967. Remaining active until the 1990s, The Band shaped the Americana movement and left behind a legacy of classic songs such as The Weight and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

Originally known as The Hawks, the group began to take off in the 1950s while performing with Ronnie Hawkins.

Drawing inspiration from traditional folk and country music, the group honed a unique sound that led to a close relationship with Bob Dylan in the 1960s.

The group gained fame after backing the folk legend’s 1965-66 tour for his influential Blonde on Blonde album, which marked Dylan’s transition to rock music. This ultimately inspired the group to adopt the name The Band.

Relocating to Woodstock, The Band recorded the iconic The Basement Tapes with Dylan.

Through their three-decade run, The Band released 10 studio albums, nine live albums, 9 compilation albums, and 33 singles. They also collaborated with Bob Dylan on two studio albums and two live albums.

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The Band’s most acclaimed albums include Music from Big Pink (1968) and a self-titled album (1969).

They were inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, later receiving a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Hudson was the last surviving original member of The Band, made up of musicians Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Levon Helm.

His wife, Maud Hudson, died in 2022. Together, they had one daughter, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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