Garth Hudson Photo: Supplied
Garth Hudson, the organist and multi-instrumentalist whose wizardry enhanced some of the best-known songs of rock group the Band has died age 87.
Hudson, a Canadian who died in Woodstock, New York, where he had lived for years, was hailed as one of the greatest keyboardists in rock music. He also played saxophone, accordion and other instruments.
Hudson was the last surviving original member of the Band after guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson died in 2023.
Hudson was the oldest member of The Band and the only one who did not sing. With his bushy beard, high forehead and bear-like presence, he was perhaps the group's most recognisable member.
Onstage, he came across as an intensely focused mad scientist of the keyboards who conjured up swooping, note-bending solos.
In recent years, Hudson had been in poor health and experienced some financial hard times, according to media reports. The reclusive musician had resided in Woodstock for decades.
The Band, made up of four Canadians and an American, were active from 1960 to 1976 and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Their first two albums, Music From the Big Pink (1968) The Band (1969) are considered among the greatest in rock history.
The group drew from folk, blues, country and soul influences, and they were pioneers of what is now called Americana music. They formed an influential association with Bob Dylan in the mid-1960s and for much of their career were based in Woodstock.
In addition to Hudson, the group's Canadian members included guitarist Robertson, bassist Rick Danko and pianist Richard Manuel. Drummer Levon Helm was from Arkansas.
Lead vocals were shared by Danko, Helm and Manuel and Robertson. The Band reunited, without Robertson, in the 1980s and 1990s and released several new albums but failed to recapture the original group's success. Manuel died in 1986, Danko died in 1999 and Helm in 2012.
